


Cold Circuit

by Ceata88



Series: OC AU [2]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Bring Echo back, Gen, light hints of Jay/Echo but nothing major, poor zane, pre-Season 8, the whole squad is here but those are the major ones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-07-17 12:33:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 33,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16095767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ceata88/pseuds/Ceata88
Summary: When on a simple mission with Pixal, Cole runs into something unexpected, another nindroid who claims his name was once Zane. Turns out Jay and Nya are familiar with him, but the reunion is very short lived as Echo warns Nadakhan’s teapot was spotted recently.The team sets out right away to look into it and prevent another disaster from the djinn, but as their leads dry up and The Bounty’s systems break down more and more, Zane suspects there’s something else going on. Eventually he’s not only forced to face the person who’s drawn them along in this scheme, but also the reality that his father might not have been the person he believed him to be.





	1. Boot Up

**Author's Note:**

> Comin at you with a new fic what's up.
> 
> Don't think you HAVE to read Morning Sun, this fic only makes a couple of mentions to it. 
> 
> Gonna be updating Tues-Thurs-Saturday. Woo! 
> 
> And as always, enjoy the ride.

    The boat crashed onto the shore of the island and a boy stumbled onto the deck, trying to check his surroundings. It was the middle of the night, probably a bad time for sailing, but the less eyes he had on him the better.  
  
    His gloved hands tapped against the side of his ski goggles, enhancing his visual on the building in front of him. It was the lighthouse, just what he’d been aiming for.  
  
    Touring around Borg tower had lead him to a bunch of useful information, but nothing he actually needed. Maybe this place could give him some answers. Based on the archive, it didn’t seem like Borg had acquired all of Dr. Julien’s work.  
  
    There had to be information on what the titanium ninja ran on.  
  
    He jumped off the ship, somewhat frustrated he’d have to patch it up before he left. Those damn star teeth had been expected, but still a too much to handle. There wasn’t enough damage to make him sink, but it would make sailing far more frustrating.  
  
    On the bright side, he wouldn’t have to pay much for it after he got back to the mainland. Wasn’t even his boat.  
  
    The boy headed up the steps, keeping an eye out for any movement. Foolish. No one lived here.  
  
    The camera next to the door still moved, side to side. He searched for a signal to slip into, but couldn’t find one. Whatever monitor it used it must be directly connected to it.  
  
    The door wasn’t locked, although it was stubborn as he shoved it open. The wood scraped against the floor. He expected a cloud of dust, but there wasn’t one.  
  
    It was quiet, dark, and almost cold. The boy held his breath as he glanced around but there was nothing apart from the flashing screen that the camera was connected to.  
  
    He headed up the steps, listening to them creaking under his feet. By now he could smell the slowly rotting wood along with the sea water. How old was this building? Why had it been built in the first place? Odd place for a lighthouse.  
  
    He pushed the questions out of his mind as he reached the top floor. Everything seemed to be how it was left. Furniture and equipment scattered around the room. If Dr. Julien had left this place in such a hurry, there had to be something here.  
  
    The boy got to work digging through the room, but within a moment of dropping a sheet of paper on the floor he realized he wasn’t as alone as he thought. A soft beeping made him jump. He turned to see a small robot roll out from a slot in the wall, picking up the sheets and putting them back where they had been.  
  
    It seemed to stare at him, waiting for something.  
  
    “Uh, sorry,” his voice was muffled by his scarf.  
  
    It accepted his apology, beeping again as it headed over to the staircase.  
  
    The boy tried not to think on it. So the man left his stuff and his machines? How much of a hurry was he in? Why not come back for it?  
  
    Just more mysteries to solve.  
  
    He tried to focus back on his search until he heard the beeping again. He turned to see the small robot talking to something by the staircase. The boy used his goggles to zoom in, try and get a visual.  
  
    As he stepped closer, whatever it was took off.  
  
    The boy ran after it, down the steps, he could hear the clink of metal which told him it was another robot. Big surprise.  
  
    At the bottom of the steps he glanced around. He couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary from when he came in. He tapped his ski goggles again, trying to hone in on any signals or movement.  
  
    He spotted something faint behind the wall. He was slow to step over, seeing the scuff marks on the wood now. His fingers trailed over it, looking for a switch of some kind.  
  
    One of the stones triggered it. A secret doorway opened.  
  
    Oh, jackpot.  
  
    There were parts and blueprints everywhere. This must be where he did all of his work. The boy resisted the urge to rush over and start digging through it. There was still the robot to worry about.  
  
    “Hello?” He called out. “I didn’t mean to frighten you, if I did.” He stepped further into the room. His goggles started to tally up what they could recognize. Wires, gears, plating, he could use a lot of this.  
  
    There was a soft clink. His gaze shot to one of the shelves. A figure slowly came out from behind and his breath caught.  
  
    “Hello,” it said, voice slightly distorted. “I’m Zane.”  
  
    Was it? It didn’t quite look like him. Similar, sure, but the shape of its face was off. A lot of its plating was growing rust.  
  
    “Hey Zane,” he said regardless. “What are you doing out here?”  
  
    “I live here, waiting for my father to return.”  
  
    Hah, for a second he almost sympathized with that. Part of him wanted to break the news, but no, he couldn’t do that.  
  
    This would be useful.  
  
    “I can help you find him.” He offered.  
  
    The robot tilted its head, soft yellow eyes focused on him. “You could?”  
  
    “Sure.” He grinned underneath his scarf. “I just need you to do me a favor...”  
  
❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄  
  
    “Get back here!” Cole shouted at the one thief that managed to climb back on his motorbike. The other three were out cold on the concrete by now, no doubt Pixal was giving the police the location.  
  
    Not that the thief listened. The guy cackled, waving the book in his hand before speeding off. Why even take something like that from the library anyway?  
  
    Whatever, it was better than spending another day at the temple staring at a wall.  
  
    “Hey, Samurai, we’ve got a runner.” Cole didn’t hesitate to dart for the nearest building. He jumped from one wall to another in order to climb.  
  
    “I have a visual. Do you need picking up?”  
  
    Cole landed on the roof. “Could use my dragon but it’d be way funnier for you to drop me on his head.”  
  
    Pixal chuckled. “Very well, get ready.”  
  
    It had only been a month since that incident with the swamp witch. Considering Cole almost died, the team decided to be a lot more cautious about following leads for the time being. It left them with a lot of idle time and Cole had no problem filling it by either going on dates with Zane or Pixal.  
  
    He wished he could hang out with both of them, but Pixal still hadn’t told the team her other identity.  
  
    Cole heard the roar of the Samurai X suit behind him. He kept running forward, jumping off the edge of the building as the suit’s hand came up from below him.  
  
    “Nice catch.” He kept a grip on it to steady himself.  
  
    “As always.” Pixal replied.  
  
    “Hey, save the gloating until we catch this guy.” Cole grinned. The thief was still in view, zipping along the street. There were too many cars right now, so getting the drop on him was dangerous.  
  
    “How do you want to do this?” Cole stumbled as she twisted around a corner.  
  
    “We have to cut him off. We can’t afford a frontal attack as long as he has that book.”  
  
    Right, had to keep the ancient literature safe and all that. “How about I drop behind him and make a wall when we’re in the clear. Soon as you drop me you can rush ahead to stop him. He’ll have nowhere to go.”  
  
    “It could work, but we will have to wait for the right opportunity.”  
  
    She was likely referring to the landscape. Right now the roads were still open, with plenty of turns. They had to catch him in a place with only two exits.  
  
    Their chance came when he tried to slip down an alley. Cole didn’t hesitate to jump, feeling the heat from the suits boosters as it rushed over him. He grinned as his feet hit the ground. The road shook before the rock wall formed behind him. The vibrations caused the thief’s bike to wobble. That slow down would cost him.  
  
    Pixal’s mech landed at the exit, giant swords out and ready. The thief squeaked, or maybe that was his tires as he turned the bike in order to bring it to a stop.  
  
    “Halt,” Pixal’s Samurai X voice boomed out from the mech. “You have nowhere to run.”  
  
    Cole kept smiling, gripping his hammer as he stepped forward. He didn’t want to rush, end up risking the book. For now he’d wait for the man to make a move.  
  
    He just didn’t expect that move for him to draw a gun.  
  
    Cole blinked, almost not recognizing the weapon. By the time he did there wasn’t any time to move.  
  
    “Look out!”  
  
    Something heavy slammed into his back and knocked him to the ground as the gun went off. Cole couldn’t stay down, he pushed the weight off as he looked back up. Pixal had dropped one of her swords, snatching the thief into the air with her suit. He screamed and let go of the book.  
  
    “Let go,” the man struggled. “Damn it.”  
  
    “You’re under arrest.” Pixal said, tightening her grip.  
  
    Cole let out a sigh of relief.  
  
    “Are you okay?”  
  
    Oh, right, someone helped him. Cole stood and turned to thank the person, only to freeze.  
  
    Zane? No, no it wasn’t Zane. That bronze color wasn’t his, the face almost was if not for the chin. There were so many more lines on it too. The eyes were round instead of sharp.  
  
    It couldn’t be Zane, but it was definitely a nindroid, and almost all production on those had ceased since the Overlord’s second invasion.  
  
    The nindroid in question tilted its head, yellow eyes studying him. “Sir?”  
  
    “I...” Cole shook his head. “You uh, you look familiar.” He gripped his hammer. “Who are you?”  
  
    It smiled. “My original name was Zane, but you can call me Echo.”  
  
    What? What the hell was going on?  
  
    “Cole?” Pixal spoke through their communicator. “Who is that?”  
  
    He whispered back. “Uh, said he was called Zane once.”  
  
    “That’s impossible.”  
  
    “You sure, Pix?”  
  
    It couldn’t be impossible because he was standing right there. Was it some kind of prank from Borg? Unlikely, the man was never that good with jokes.  
  
    “Sorry, I imagine you’re confused.” Echo said. “I promise I can explain, but it would be easier if we contacted the other ninja first.”  
  
    Cole tightened his grip on his weapon again. Even if Echo was right, he was hesitant to do that. How would Zane react to this? How would the others? Was it even safe? Pretty strange for a Zane look-a-like to show up out of nowhere.  
  
    “What are you doing here?” Cole decided to ask. “Doesn’t seem like a coincidence.”  
  
    “As I said I can explain in more detail later.” Echo frowned. “But I have reason to believe we’re about to have a crisis on our hands.”  
  
❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄  
  
    Cole still wasn’t sure about this.  
  
    In the end he contacted the others, telling them to bring The Bounty nearby. Pixal took the thief to the police, allowing her to hide her identity for another day.  
  
    It was a little awkward, waiting on this roof with this nindroid.  
  
    Cole looked over at him. Right now Echo seemed entranced by the city, darting back and forth on the roof to see everything. For a while, he kept following a pair of pigeons around the ledge as they did nothing more but walk away from him.  
  
    “Hey,” Cole interrupted his chase.  
  
    The nindroid whirled around to look at him. “Yes?”  
  
    “You said your name was originally Zane. Are you the uh... prototype or what?”  
  
    Echo shrugged. “I do not believe so. I am fairly certain father built me while in the lighthouse but...”  
  
    “Then why call you Zane?”  
  
    Another shrug. “Perhaps he believed he would not see the Zane you know again.”  
  
    “You don’t know?”  
  
    Echo turned away from him, focused on the pigeons again. “I was often turned off until after he left. I finally came out here to ask him myself however...”  
  
    Cole gritted his teeth and looked at the sky. Dr. Julien had been dead for years now. Just how long was Echo on that island?  
  
    How the hell had none of them known?  
  
    Hopefully he’d get some answers as The Bounty came into view. The ship flew down toward them, the ladder already extended.  
  
    “Alright,” Cole strapped his hammer to his back. “I’m going up first. No funny business.” He pointed at the nindroid. Despite his big, innocent eyes Cole hadn’t dropped his suspicions yet. There was no telling what was going on.  
  
    It didn’t help that Ruta’s warning was still ringing in his head.  
  
   _“Be careful who you trust.”_  
  
    If he thought it was worth the risk he’d find her and ask her to clarify what she meant by that.  
  
    Cole climbed up the ladder, Echo following after. Kai was at the top with his sister, both of them helping him on deck.  
  
    “What’s going on?” Kai raised an eyebrow. “You said it was urgent.”  
  
    Cole cringed. “It uh, kind of is.”  
  
    He glanced back to see Echo’s head pop up from the side, eyes darting around.  
  
    Nya gasped. “Echo?”  
  
    Both Cole and Kai looked over at her as her hand flew over her mouth.  
  
    “Wait,” Cole said. “Nya, do you know him?”  
  
    She cringed, glancing at all of them. “I...”  
  
    “Hello Nya,” Echo finished climbing aboard. “It is nice to see you again.”  
  
    “Again?” Cole found himself shouting. “Nya, what the hell–”  
  
    “Echo!”  
  
    Jay’s voice interrupted all of them. The lightning ninja darted through the crowd, practically slamming into the nindroid as he hugged him.  
  
    What the hell? Was Cole the only one who didn’t know him? No, that wasn’t true. Kai had the same look of shock that he did.  
  
    “You’re okay.” Jay looked him over. “Heck, better than okay. Where did you go? I went back to the island but–oh no, wait, you probably don’t remember any of that.”  
  
    “There are hazy fragments.” Echo smiled and pointed to his head.  
  
    “But what happened to you?”  
  
    “An explorer found me and offered to help me get to the city. I... was not sure if it was wise to come and find all of you considering–”  
  
    “What’s going on?”  
  
    The entire group turned to see Zane standing there. He didn’t look upset, but there was still confusion in his eyes as he stared at Echo.  
  
    “That’s what I’ve been asking.” Cole growled. “How do you know him, Jay?”  
  
    The blue ninja laughed, rubbing the back of his head. “Yeah uh, wild story about that.”  
  
    “A long one,” Nya sighed. “Come on, if we’re going to talk about this we might as well go inside.”  
  
    Cole didn’t like that answer. Just what had the pair kept from the rest of the team, and why? He supposed he’d have to ask those questions after.  
  
    At least he wasn’t the only one suspicious. Zane’s confusion never left his face, even slipping into fear. Cole wanted to ask what was going through his mind, but there wasn’t time for that. For now he just rested his hand on his shoulder as they all headed indoors.  
  
    “Okay,” Jay began. “So uh, do you guys remember that time Nya suddenly learned airjitzu?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Outline highlights for this chapter:
> 
> \- Pixal and Cole are on a mission (date)  
> \- Cole: The ffffuck? 
> 
>  
> 
> [Also there's some rad cover art I did for this fic.](http://ceata88.tumblr.com/post/178451083529/when-on-a-simple-mission-with-pixal-cole-runs)


	2. Memory Drive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Echo's so good u know?

    Jay held his breath as he looked around the room. He’d just finished telling them all the events of their battle with Nadakhan, including what happened to Nya. Everyone sat in silence for a while. Kai looked numb.  
  
    “She died?” He asked.   
  
    “Uh yeah,” Jay cringed. “But uh, it’s fine now you know? Wish reset everything and all that.”  
  
    “That’s why we don’t remember it.” Zane hadn’t looked away from Echo the entire conversation. “So why do you?”  
  
    “Couldn’t tell you.” Nya shrugged. “I’m surprised Echo does.”  
  
    “Fragments.” The nindroid clarified. “It’s very hazy, and confusing, and out of order I think. I at least remember the nickname you gave me.” He smiled and tilted his head.  
  
    At least he hadn’t changed much, although...  
  
    “So who patched you up?” Jay moved the topic along. “You said some explorer found you? He must have gotten there before I did because... I mean I did go back for you.”  
  
    “I appreciate it.” Echo kept smiling. “But yes, an explorer crashed onto the island. In exchange for helping fix his ship he got us all off the island.”   
  
    “Us?” Kai frowned.  
  
    “Ah, Gizmo. He’s staying with the explorer’s mother, helping her out. He rather enjoys it.”   
  
    Jay smiled, remembering the small robot. It was a relief to know he hadn’t been left behind.   
  
    “So where is this explorer?” Nya said. “Did you even get his name?”  
  
    Echo shrugged. “He moved on after repairing me, more places to look into. He said his name was Hale.”  
  
    Jay blinked. Did Echo’s voice distort on that last word? No, he must be hearing things.   
  
    “But why did you take so long to find us?” He asked. “I mean, if you have some memories from all that...”   
  
    Echo looked at Zane, tapping his fingers together. “I did not wish to intrude, considering it’s possible that I was... never meant to exist.”   
  
    Jay opened his mouth to argue but Zane beat him to it.  
  
    “No,” Zane shook his head. “I cannot say the reason Father was building you, but he had a purpose, a good one.” He smiled as he stood, stepping over to put a hand on Echo’s shoulder. “You have every right to be here, and it’s nice to finally meet you.”   
  
    Jay smiled at the same time Echo did. He recalled Zane having a positive reaction when they first met on those floating islands, but it was good to know that feeling carried over.   
  
    “So why show up now?” Cole interrupted.   
  
    Echo’s smile dropped. “That is...” He looked at Jay. “I am glad you and Nya remember the battle with Nadakhan. I was worried I would have trouble convincing you.”  
  
    Jay already felt nauseous. “Um, convincing us of what?”  
  
    “While touring a nearby city I saw Nadakhan’s teapot.”   
  
    Jay and Nya stood up at the same time. “What?”   
  
    “I did not even know what it was until I read the description, about Captain Soto sealing away a djinn. Right now it’s safe but...”   
  
    “Someone could steal it.” Zane said.   
  
    “Oh no.” Jay shouted. “We’re not doing that again. No way. We need to get The Bounty over there right now.”   
  
    “We can’t just walk in there and take it.” Kai argued.   
  
    “But we should at least confirm it’s location and security.” Zane said. “If it is not well protected we may have to take it ourselves.”   
  
    “Zane’s right.” Lloyd spoke up, despite having been quiet the whole conversation. The poor kid was fairly out of it lately, with their lack of leads on finding Wu. “We should at least check the place out. Echo, can you send Pixal the location?”   
  
    “Oh, yes.” The nindroid hopped up. “I’ll do that right away.” He was already scurrying off to the control room. Jay didn’t hesitate to follow. He wasn’t quite done asking questions, after all.  
  
    When he caught up, Pixal already had the location on the map and Echo was chattering away.   
  
    “I apologize for the short notice.” He said. “But it is nice to meet you. Did Father design you as well?”  
  
    “No,” Pixal said. “I was designed and built by Cyrus Borg.”   
  
    “Oh! I have heard about him.”  
  
    “Hey,” Jay came up behind him, leaning on him. “If you want you could always meet him. We know the guy pretty well.”  
  
    “Really?” Echo’s eyes seemed to glitter. “That would be delightful.”  
  
    Jay couldn’t keep himself from laughing. Had he always been this cute?   
  
    Echo blinked, snapping out of his trance. “Ah, but we should take care of this first. I would rather avoid another crisis like that.”   
  
    Yeah, Jay knew that, probably better than anyone else on this ship. Sometimes he still had nightmares of Nya hanging lifeless in his arms.   
  
    And he still remembered finally getting the chance to slip away to the lighthouse. At the time, he didn’t know what he was going to do with Echo. Bring him back to The Bounty? Take him somewhere else? It didn’t matter. He never found him. Part of him worried that in resetting the timeline he’d somehow erased Echo from existence.   
  
    He was glad that wasn’t the case.   
  
    “You weren’t lonely were you?” Jay asked.   
  
    Echo looked at him for a moment. “Do not worry yourself over that, Jay. It’s a feeling I’m quite used to.”  
  
    “That just makes me worry more.”  
  
    Echo laughed. “My apologies. But it’s all right now, yes?”   
  
    “Depends, are you sticking around when this is taken care of?”   
  
    “I don’t know. There are many places I still wish to explore.” Echo’s hands were behind his back as he spun to look at the map. “I never really imagined it was so big.”   
  
    “Well, we’re looking for leads to help us find Master Wu.” Jay shrugged. “So it’s not like you wouldn’t get the chance.”   
  
    “Is that an invitation?”  
  
    “Hey, I’m sure the rest of the team would say the same.” Jay tried to smile, but his nerves cut it short.  
  
    “Thank you, Jay.” Echo smiled instead. “Perhaps I should have found you sooner. I had hoped to find my father when I got here, ask him why I was made but...”   
  
    “Yeah,” Jay sighed. “Sorry.”  
  
    “Do not apologize. I should have expected it, considering his condition.”  
  
    Jay nodded as the words sunk in. “Wait, what do you mean his–”   
  
    “So where are we headed?” Nya interrupted as she came in, stepping over to the console. “Doesn’t look far.”   
  
    “It is not.” Pixal replied. “It should only take us half an hour to get there.”   
  
    “Great,” Nya clapped her hands together and turned to Echo. “Plenty of time for us to find something more suitable for you to wear.”  
  
    “Huh?” Echo looked down at the baggy sweater and frayed jeans he had on. “What is wrong with these?”   
  
    “When’s the last time you washed them?”  
  
    Echo’s eyes flashed. “Ah... a few weeks ago I suppose.”  
  
    “Yeah,” Nya nudged him toward the door. “Let’s find you a change of clothes while we get them washed.”  
  
    “Oh boy,” Jay followed them. “Who’s closet are we stealing from?”   
  
    “Probably Kai’s, they’re the closest in height.”  
  
    Yeah, that was true. Echo was surprisingly shorter than Zane, but still taller than him and Nya. Jay felt like he should be frustrated, but he was fairly used to it by now.   
  
    Besides, Echo would look good in red.  
  
❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄  
  
    The team was quick to climb off The Bounty when they arrived. The museum was located in a strangely remote town and the building looked like a repurposed temple. It meant they had to leave their ship hovering farther away than they would have liked, but it was better than risking the building.  
  
    Zane looked at Echo–his little brother he supposed–still fiddling with the drawstrings on Kai’s hoodie. The fire ninja initially complained when Echo showed up wearing his clothes, but Nya convinced him to calm down. It was just temporary until his outfit was clean.   
  
    Zane had no trouble with Echo being here, he hadn’t lied about that, but suspicion still lingered in his mind. Not because he doubted his father’s planning, but because it was odd his father never mentioned Echo existed. Sure the events from their arrival at the lighthouse to the aftermath of the Overlord battle where a whirlwind but... still.  
  
    He shook his head. No sense in lingering on it now. They could inquire and dig into Echo’s origins when the more immediate threat was taken care of.   
  
    The group headed into town, quickly recognized by a number of people. A pair of young girls ran over to Nya, giggling. The water ninja beamed at them, more than happy to comply with their request to lift both of them up with one arm.   
  
    Even if their fame from the Stiix battle had died down, some of it still lingered.   
  
    Much to the girls’ dismay, Nya had to put them back down. They were on a job after all. She gave the both a wave as they continued to the museum.   
  
    “Ninja?” A young woman who sat in the courtyard looked up at them from the parchment she was studying. “I wasn’t aware the curator called you.”   
  
    Zane already didn’t like the sound of that. “Why would they have called us?”  
  
    She sat up straight. “You’re not here because of the break in?”  
  
    Zane went tense. He felt his teammates do the same.   
  
    “Break in?” Lloyd asked. “When?”  
  
    “Just yesterday, late at night.” The woman said.   
  
    “You’re kidding...” Jay said.  
  
    The team didn’t hesitate to rush into the building.   
  
    The lobby was empty apart from who Zane assumed to be the curator and a couple of officers. All three of them looked up when the ninja opened the door. Lloyd darted over to them.  
  
    “Was there really a break in last night?” He asked.   
  
    “Ah, ninja? What brings all of you here?” The older gentleman adjusted his glasses. “I didn’t think this would be enough to draw your attention.”  
  
    “We came here looking for something.” Zane stood next to Lloyd. “But it seems we weren’t the only ones. The woman outside mentioned a break in, was something taken?”  
  
    “Sadly yes,” the man sighed. “Not long after we got it open too. We even went out of our way to set up a security system.”  
  
    Zane looked around the room, noticing the cameras. _“Pixal,”_ he kept his messages private. _“Can you access the museum’s security? See if you find anything?”_   
  
     _“I’ll look into it.”_ She replied.   
  
    That would give them a few possible leads. Zane drifted away from whatever questions Lloyd was asking as he walked around the room. From here he couldn’t see any signs of forced entry. Perhaps on the upper floors? Zane headed up the steps, analyzing everything. If he was lucky he could find some fingerprints or a foot print.  
  
    No such luck, but he found the point of entry. The window had been forced open, part of the glass broken so the thief could access the lock. A shame. It looked like all the windows were new.   
  
    “Zane?”  
  
    He turned around to see Cole, the earth ninja looking around.  
  
    “Yes? What is it?”  
  
    “Just checking on you. You ducked out pretty quick.”  
  
    “I thought I would look around the crime scene, see if I can find anything while Pixal checks the footage. We do not have time to waste finding this teapot. Here’s to hoping whoever stole it is not aware of what they’ve taken.”   
  
    “Yeah, according to Lloyd the security system didn’t even kick in until the thief was running. No one got a good look at them.” Cole stepped over to the window, nudging the shards of glass with his boot. “Does this seem...weird to you?”   
  
    “Weird how?” Zane ran a scan along the edge of the window. No fingerprints.   
  
    “I mean, Echo finally shows up to warn us and this thing immediately gets stolen?”   
  
    Zane frowned. “You think Echo planned this?”  
  
    “No, no, that’s not what I’m saying. It just feels like too much of a coincidence, you know?”  
  
    That much was true. Echo had been back on the mainland for over a year, yet the same time he decides to reveal himself they’re sent chasing after an enemy they apparently faced before. It was doubtful Echo had anything to do with the thief, but it was possible someone else was pulling some strings.   
  
    Sadly, they had no choice but to learn as they go. Locating that teapot was the top priority.   
  
    This floor didn’t give him much in the way of clues, but it did make him curious. If the system wasn’t activated until after the thief was running what triggered it. There wasn’t any point in breaking a window in order to exit. They all locked from the inside.   
  
    He’d have to wait for the security footage to draw any conclusions.   
  
    He stored some more images of the museum in his memory in case they needed them later, though it was doubtful it would be much help.   
  
    “You guys find anything?” Nya came up the steps, hands on her hips.  
  
    “Nah, not really. Guessing the curator knows as much as we do.” Cole sighed.  
  
    She shook her head. “We’ve got our work cut out for us, but while Pixal analyzes the footage I know where we can go.”   
  
    Zane raised an eyebrow. “Where?”  
  
    “Where do you think?” She grimaced. “Who else do we know who notorious for stealing?”   
  
    Right, of course.  
  
    Ronin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only outline highlight for this chapter.
> 
> \- Panic


	3. File Not Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What, me imply scruffshipping? Is anyone surprised?

    Ronin wasn’t hard to find, thankfully. The man still hadn’t left Ninjago City, lingering in the apartment above his pawn shop. It was likely due to the injury he sustained when the vermillion warriors were still a problem. Broken legs took time to heal, after all.   
  
    But even with that, the team had caught Ronin helping Dareth out with building his bar more than once. Nya sometimes gossiped with Jay about the nature of their relationship, but couldn’t come to any conclusions. It was an odd dynamic to be sure, but it almost seemed like Dareth was keeping Ronin out of trouble.  
  
    Of course, since he fully recovered a month ago, that could be changing.   
  
    Jay was on edge as they climbed off the Bounty and headed down the street to the pawn shop. There was no guarantee Ronin was even here. They didn’t have a pin on his location.   
  
    “Who are we going to see?” Echo asked, his gaze constantly moving around the buildings.   
  
    “His name is Ronin, huge thief, on and off ally of ours.” Jay explained. “It’s possible he stole the teapot if he knew what it was. I mean, he was on our team when we fought Nadakhan. Maybe he remembers more than he let on.”  
  
    Echo frowned. “If he remembers that, why would he risk stealing it?”  
  
    “Money.” Jay stuck out his tongue. Echo giggled.   
  
    Kai opened the door to the pawn shop and everyone shuffled in. Not that it was easy, the store was as crowded as ever with shelves and merchandise. It’s a wonder anyone could navigate in here.   
  
    “Hey Ronin,” Kai called out. “I know you’re in here or you would have at least locked the door.”   
  
    There was a light clatter from the backroom. Ronin nudged the sheet aside as he came into view, a visible frown on his face.   
  
    “What are all of you doing here? I swear if this is some other bullshit with some other big villain I want nothing to do with it.”   
  
    “It might, might not.” Kai crossed his arms. “We’re trying to find a lead right now. Something pretty potent got stolen from a museum out of the city, a teapot. That wasn’t you, was it?”  
  
    Ronin cringed, slouching a bit. “Why do you always assume it’s me?”  
  
    Nya gestured to the entire shop. Jay snickered.   
  
    “Fine, fair point, but I haven’t stolen anything recently.”   
  
    “Yeah, that’s believable.” Cole mumbled.  
  
    “Believe what you want. I only just recovered from my broken leg and most of my time has been spent helping Dareth out with the bar.”   
  
    “Yeah, what’s up with that?” Jay leaned against a shelf. “You two are getting pretty cozy lately.”  
  
    Ronin’s expression shifted from frustration to something Jay couldn’t read. “Sorry but I fail to see how that’s important to your investigation.”  
  
    “He doesn’t deny it.” Kai said.  
  
    “But he’s right.” Zane cut in. “It doesn’t pertain to what we’re searching for. But if Ronin didn’t take it, perhaps there’s something else he can help with.”   
  
    “Like what?” Ronin frowned.  
  
    “The museum curator said the alarm didn’t go off until after the thief was making a run for it. I imagine you’re quite familiar with the ins and outs of security systems.”   
  
    “Flattery will get you nowhere.” The man scoffed. “But fine, if it’ll get you out of my hair.”   
  
    They all shuffled out of the shop, waiting outside for Ronin. The man locked the front door behind them, gesturing for them to lead the way back to The Bounty.   
  
    They didn’t get far before he started a new topic.  
  
    “So what’s up with the Zane clone over here?”  
  
    Jay spun around to glare at him, seeing him pointing in Echo’s direction.  
  
    “His name is Echo.” He spoke firmly. “And he’s not a clone.”  
  
    “Might need to get your eyes checked, kid.”   
  
    Jay growled, almost launching himself at the thief if it wasn’t for Nya grabbing his shoulder.   
  
    “Don’t worry about it right now, Ronin.” Nya said. “We can explain later.”   
  
    He frowned, still studying Echo, but finally shrugged. Good. He should just mind his own business. Jay crossed his arms as he huffed.  
  
    The team climbed back onto The Bounty. Jay prayed Pixal had an update for them, but the lack of data on the screen didn’t seem promising.  
  
    “Any luck with the security footage, Pixal?” Lloyd asked.  
  
    “I’m... afraid not.” She said. “It’s odd, something keeps interfering with my systems when I try. So far I haven’t found a way around it.”   
  
    Jay didn’t like the sound of that, especially when it came to Pixal. There was hardly anything she couldn’t work her way into, and he doubted the museum had a security system that high class.   
  
    “You got any photos?” Ronin asked. “Any details of the break-in?”   
  
    Jay watched as Zane pulled up a couple of pictures, making the one of the broken window larger on the screen.   
  
    “The curator stated the security system went off but not until the thief was on his way out. Without the footage there’s no way of knowing what set it off.”  
  
    Ronin stepped up to the monitor, rubbing his chin. He tapped the picture of the museum’s layout.   
  
    “If you want my honest opinion, I think the thief set it off.” Ronin put both of his hands on his hips.  
  
    “Huh?” Jay frowned. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why would he do that?”   
  
    Ronin shrugged. “If the security system didn’t go off at all despite the broken window that tells me the thief hacked into it. Unless it took him a lot longer than he planned there’s no way it should have gone off at all. He wanted someone to notice.”    
  
    Jay felt uneasy, and he guessed he wasn’t the only one. Zane’s stare became hard. Cole shifted on his feet, his eyes glancing at Echo.   
  
    “This is only confirmed by the fact Pixal’s struggling with getting in.” Ronin continued. “That means whoever it is, is still in the system. I don’t know what this is all about, but if you’re going to follow them I’d watch your backs.”   
  
    Jay sighed, not liking how complicated this all sounded. So, what, someone found Nadakhan’s lamp and wanted them to come after it? Maybe it was one of the sky pirates but how did they get here. Weren’t they all stuck in another realm? Maybe they found a backdoor. Maybe they had some vague memories of that battle as well.   
  
    Whatever, if Nadakhan got out there’d be trouble. The team had no choice but to find it before it fell into the wrong hands.   
  
    “Sorry, that’s all I can tell you guys.” Ronin spun around on his heel. “Can I go now? Or are you still suspicious?”   
  
    “Why?” Lloyd’s expression was blank. “Late for a date with Dareth?”   
  
    Ronin pointed at him a few times, a forced grin on his face. “Hilarious Lloyd, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”   
  
    The rest of the team snickered as Ronin headed off the ship. Well, most of them did. Zane went back to the images, silent.   
  
    “Do you guys think this could be a trap?” Lloyd finally brought it up.   
  
    “I mean, something has to be going on.” Cole shifted again, his gaze back on Echo. “It seems like a big coincidence that Echo comes back and this thing gets stolen right after. On top of that they planned for us to notice.”  
  
    “Huh?” Echo blinked and his eyes flashed. “Do you think I have something to do with this?”  
  
    Jay wanted to jump on the defensive but he stayed quiet for now.   
  
    “No, no.” Cole shook his head. “But someone might have known you were coming to warn us. Did you have contact with anyone on your way to us?”   
  
    The nindroid frowned and tilted his head. “No one that I gave any details to, no. I guess it’s possible someone was following me.”   
  
    Great, more mysteries to add to the pile. Jay’s head already hurt.   
  
    “Still no luck, Pix?” Cole glanced back at the monitor.  
  
    “No this is... very odd. I’ll keep working on it.”  
  
    “But what do we do in the meantime?” Kai said. “We can’t just sit around.”   
  
    “We should split into some groups to find some leads.” Nya answered. “When Nadakhan came back last time the first thing he did was get the realm crystal and accuse us of crimes in order to get us arrested.”   
  
    “I’ll go by Borg Tower so I can access the security cameras around and near the city.” Zane said. “If he does any trouble in our name we’ll spot it first, care to help Nya?”  
  
    “I’m on it.” She grinned.  
  
    “Jay, do you know where their ship was located?” Cole asked.  
  
    “Gypsy cove.” He said. “Would be a good idea to try and get there first and intercept it.”   
  
    Cole nodded. “Come on Kai, that’s where we’re headed.”  
  
    “Huh? Out on the water?” Kai frowned.   
  
    “Don’t worry bro, you’ll be fine.” Nya patted his back and giggled.  
  
    “Don’t worry Kai, I’ll come with and keep you safe.” Lloyd smirked at him. “Jay, you and Echo should go check on the realm crystal.”   
  
    Jay nodded, perhaps a little too fast. He’d take the opportunity to chat with Echo more even if they had work to do.   
  
    “Alright then, Zane you take The Bounty, everyone else can use their dragons.” Lloyd said. “Let’s head out.”  
  
❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄  
  
    “So they get the time portal open anyway and Kai and Nya run in after them.” Jay kept prattling on about their battle with the time twins as he and Echo flew toward the realm crystal. “All we could do was wait, sadly. The whole future got messed up while they were gone though. Zane went out of commission. They took care of it, at least, but when they got back Wu was stuck in the time stream.”  
  
    “What?” Echo gasped. “Can he not jump out?”  
  
    “Maybe?” Jay shrugged. “I think he already has, why we keep looking for him but... there’s no telling where or when he’ll land you know?” He tried to laugh that thought off. It could be years from now before they caught any hints to his location.   
  
    “I’m sorry that happened.” Echo tightened his grip on Jay. “I imagine I can somewhat relate to that feeling.”   
  
    “Yeah,” Jay sighed. “Your dad passing away... sucked.”   
  
    “Did you know him?”  
  
    “Not for long. We only got to hang out so many times before he died. He was always excited to see what me and Nya were working on, gave us a lot of good ideas too. Felt like he left way too soon.”   
  
    Echo shrugged. “As I said before it is... not that surprising.”  
  
    “What do you mean?”  
  
    “He kept having to drink some kind of tea on the island. I saw it once or twice when I was conscious, but he got the leaves from a plant he grew just outside. I haven’t seen anything like it since I left.”   
  
    Jay thought that over, remembering what Dr. Julien told them when they first got to the lighthouse. He’d died in his hideout, only for Samukai to give him some kind of elixir to bring him back. Perhaps it was possible the effects would only last if he kept drinking it.   
  
    He gritted his teeth together. He might have to mention this to Zane.   
  
    “Are those plants still on the island?” He asked.   
  
    “No, they died when I was finally active enough to tend to them.”  
  
    Damn, so much for possible immortality. He wished he knew where the plant came from. If Samukai had the elixir maybe it was from the Underworld.  
  
    Jay wasn’t going back there anytime soon.   
  
    The landed in Hiroshi’s Labyrinth, an action that would have made Jay nervous if Borg hadn’t sent them the hideout’s exact location. Landing next to it would trip security so they landed at least half a mile away just in case. They’d have to walk the rest of the way.   
  
    “It’s quiet pretty here.” Echo smiled at the plants that crowded around them, watching a pair of butterflies.   
  
    “Yeah, that’s what Lloyd said. He can’t come back here often though, reminds him of his dad a lot.”   
  
    “More missing fathers?”   
  
    “Hah, trust me, almost everyone on the team has lost a parent. I think I’m the exception... sort of.” Jay thought for a moment about Cliff Gordon, but right now people still didn’t know that he knew about that. He’d keep it quiet for now. “Kai and Nya found their parents again but they still went a long time without them.”   
  
    “I would like to meet your parents.” Echo walked faster to catch up. “Are they inventors like you?”   
  
    Jay laughed. “Yeah, what got me into all my tinkering. You have to be careful though my mom might smother you.”  
  
    “She can’t suffocate me, I do not breathe.” Echo smiled in triumph.   
  
    Jay just laughed harder. “No, no, not literally smother you. Like, constantly shower you in affection.”   
  
    “I fail to see how this is a bad thing.”  
  
    “Eh, maybe it won’t bother you as much.” Jay shoved a wall of vines to the side, finally spotting the entrance to the realm crystal.   
  
    The second they stepped into a clearing, Borg’s nindroids rushed around them. A few slipped out from the shadows. All of them had guns pointed in their direction.   
  
    “Halt.” One of them stepped forward. “Identify yourself.”  
  
    “Jay, master of lightning.” He prayed Borg still had all their voices registered. “And my teammate, Echo.”   
  
    “Voice identity confirmed.” All the nindroids stood down. A few returned to their positions. “What can we do for you, Master Jay?”  
  
    It was almost weird to be talking to nindroids who were only built to follow orders. It bothered him a bit, but he knew it was safer since they were meant to be guarding this place twenty four seven. Anyone else would go mad.   
  
    “I’m just checking in on the realm crystal. We think it’s possible a djinn might try and steal it. Has anyone been here?”   
  
    The nindroid shook his head. “No, but I will have the other check on the status of the crystal. Would you like for us to initiate a potential shut down and not let anyone enter further?”   
  
    Jay thought about that, knowing what Nadakhan was capable of. “Might not be a bad idea, at least for a few days. He can disguise himself.”   
  
    “Crystal is secure.” The nindroid gave him a salute. “We will initiate the shut down in ten minutes.”   
  
    Well, that was that. It didn’t seem like Nadakhan had been here. If he had there’d be a lot more damage.  
  
    “Yeah, send us an alert if anyone does break in. We’ll want to know right away.”  
  
    “Understood.” The nindroid saluted once more before he and the rest of them moved back to their positions.   
  
    “Well then,” Jay turned to Echo. “I think that’s about all we can do here.”  
  
    “Ah, a shame. I was rather enjoying the scenery.” Echo looked up at the tree tops. The sunlight was filtering through, shifting the leaves into an unbelievably bright green.  
  
    Jay shrugged. “Hey the others won’t expect us back for a little while. Why not run around some?” He grinned.   
  
    “Are you sure? We do have a mission ahead of us.”  
  
    “Ten minutes.” Jay took his hand. “Come on.”   
  
    Echo smiled at him, shutting his eyes as he did. “Okay.”   
  
    The pair of them laughed as they took off into the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Outline highlights
> 
> \- First stop is Ronin like the fuck did you steal now and he’s like I didn’t steal shit??  
> \- Great where are they going to get leads now?


	4. Corrupted File

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a shorter chapter but, hey
> 
> now things are getting good

    Not a single trace.  
  
    Zane tried not to show his frustration as he scanned through the security footage again. By now it was getting dark. The entire team had returned. None of them found anything. The boat in Gypsy cove was still abandoned. The realm crystal was safe and Jay made sure they’d get any security alerts that came up, but there was nothing.  
  
    No footage showed anything usual and that’s only the stuff he could access. Something was wrong with Pixal’s system. Her final breakthrough into the museum security was a bust when she found all the footage from that time was deleted. She was having trouble tracking where all the ninja were. By now she was beginning to suspect some kind of virus had gotten into her system and was working on locating it.  
  
    But how? Was there something attached to the security program left behind by whoever was sending them on this fruitless chase.  
  
    It drove him mad.  
  
    “Zane, you okay?”  
  
    Cole’s gentle hand on his shoulder was a reminder to calm down. Getting this angry would only cloud his judgement.  
  
    “This is... frustrating.” He admitted, taking Cole’s hand. “Whoever is setting this up has us in the palm of their hand. I don’t like that.”  
  
    “Yeah, none of us do.” Cole squeezed his hand in his reassuring grip. “But we’ve gotten through it once apparently. I’m sure we can do it again.”  
  
    Zane sighed, trying to let go of his anger for a moment. Instead he leaned against Cole, pressing their foreheads together. He always tried to appreciate the warmth when he could. It had almost been taken away from him twice.  
  
    “Anything yet?” Borg and Nya came into the room. After explaining the situation, Borg was more than willing to help them out. He even sent a message to his employees located in other towns to keep an eye out for the djinn.  
  
    “No,” Pixal admitted. “But I believe I’ve managed to quarantine the virus. Now it’s just a matter of rebooting everything.”  
  
    “That’s a relief.” Borg sighed. “Makes me nervous to think someone could program something that would confuse your systems like this.”  
  
    “Well, we at least know one thing.” Jay came in. “It can’t be any of Nadakhan’s crew. There’s no way they’d know their way around computers this well.”  
  
    “We can’t rule out that they’re involved.” Zane said. “They might have just gotten some additional help.”  
  
    “Yeah but I doubt they planned most of this.” Jay shook his head. “By the way, has anyone seen Echo? He wandered off when we got back and I got caught up playing some games with Lloyd and Kai.”  
  
    Zane crossed his arms. He felt like he should scold his teammates for wasting time, but in reality there was little else they could do.  
  
    “Pixal, are you tracers working again?” He asked.  
  
    “No, unfortunately. But I can’t imagine he’s gone far.”  
  
    “It would be wise to find him.” Borg frowned. “There was actually something I wanted to discuss with all of you.”  
  
    A lead? Well no, if it was that Borg would have mentioned it sooner. Still...  
  
    “Very well, let’s do a quick search of the building.” Zane said. “Jay, tell Lloyd and Kai to help. We’ll meet back up here.”  
  
    Jay nodded and headed out of the room, Nya close behind.  
  
    “I’ll check the kitchen.”  
  
    “Why would he be there?” Zane raised an eyebrow.  
  
    “You know.” Cole gave him a sheepish grin.  
  
    “If you are hungry Cole, you should just say so.”  
  
    “Okay okay, maybe a little. I’ll grab the others some food too, promise.”  
  
    He shook his head. “Alright, but please look for Echo as well.”  
  
    “You got it.” Cole took his hand, kissing his knuckles before he dashed out of the room as well.  
  
    Zane ignored Borg’s amused smile as he headed out himself. He figured he would start by going up floors. They were near the roof after all. Taking the stairs was tedious, but in this case less time consuming than the elevator.  
  
    Zane didn’t find anything until he got to the roof. By now it was dark, the lights of the city drowning out most of the stars. There was a strong breeze as well. It wasn’t entirely safe up here, but at least there was a railing.  
  
    Zane spotted Echo standing in front of it, looking out at the view. His hands gripped the railing and the hoodie he had on moved with the wind.  
  
    “There you are.” Zane stepped over.  
  
    Echo seemed to jump before he glanced back.  
  
    “We wondered where you were. Hard to track you with Pixal’s systems still down.”  
  
    “Oh, sorry.” His little brother frowned. “I just thought to come up here and see the view. It’s quite amazing.”  
  
    As Zane stood next to him he glanced back out. “Indeed.” He honestly never got tired of it. The lights, the river, the cars moving up and down the streets. It was so big and lively. A shame that their enemies kept trying to put it in peril.  
  
    “Is Pixal doing any better?”  
  
    “Well, she managed to quarantine the virus. Just a matter of restarting her systems.”  
  
    Echo sighed. “That’s good. Sorry, I feel like I’ve brought this mess on everyone.”  
  
    “It cannot be your fault. Someone else is toying with us.” Zane frowned. “But we’ll find out who at some point or another.”  
  
    Echo tried to twist the railing in his grip. “I should have come back sooner.”  
  
    “Don’t worry about it.” Zane gave him a reassuring smile. “But we should head back in. Borg mentioned he had something to tell us.”  
  
    That seemed to cheer him up as he smiled. “Okay!”  
  
    Zane turned around to head back in first. He’d rather not drown himself in the view or get too occupied in his thoughts.  
  
    “And sorry.”  
  
    He stopped and blinked. That was Echo’s voice, right? Something about it sounded wrong. He turned to look back. “Sorry for–”  
  
    Suddenly a hand covered his mouth and gripped his face. Echo stared at him, but his eyes were no longer that bright yellow. Instead they were a deep blue and that smile from earlier was nothing short of terrifying.  
  
    Zane tried to make him let go, but blue was starting to crowd up his vision. Error messages popped up left and right telling him that he was losing function in his limbs, his vision, and even his regulators. Soon there was just as much red as there was blue.  
  
    Then something else popped up on the screen, a much sharper pair of blue eyes, the symbol of a snowflake in the center of them. It seemed to stare right through the back of his mind as only two words came up.  
  
   _Hello, thief._  
  
    After that everything shut down.  
  
❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄  
  
    Frigidus hummed to himself as he swiveled back and forth in his chair. He kept sorting through file after file as they came in, his gloved fingers easily tapping them into the right folder. Just how much could he get before Zane snapped out of it, who knew.  
  
    Not that he needed everything. He needed those blueprints. He needed to know how that nindroid ran and what his power source was made of.  
  
    He dug an ice cube out of his cup and munched on it. This was all going so much faster and smoother than he expected. If this kept up he’d be finished in a matter of days.  
  
    But patience was key. He waited this long for an opportunity, he could wait a bit more.  
  
    Frigidus kept letting the data download, but decided to search some keywords anyway. Maybe this way he could at least get the important stuff to the front.  
  
    One file caught his interest, a location. A cave on Chen’s island containing enchanted stones. The same stone that Chen once used ton a staff in order to steal elemental powers.  
  
    Now wasn’t that an idea.  
  
    Frigidus grinned and bit through the ice in his mouth as he moved that file to his monitor. He had some research to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Outline highlights
> 
> \- They find jack shit.


	5. Trace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, in the middle of editing my resume: I feel like I'm forgetting something today...

    “Zane? Hey, can you hear me?”  
  
    Cole’s voice registered more and more before his vision came back online. He was in the main office of Borg tower, his team surrounding him with concern all over their faces.  
  
    He sat up. What had happened? He went to look for Echo and then...?  
  
    No, he couldn’t remember anything after stepping out on that roof. Did someone attack them? It would still be odd for him to forget that.  
  
    Wait, where was Echo?  
  
    Zane looked around to see his little brother on the sofa near him, unconscious.  
  
    “What happened?” He finally asked his team, glancing around at them.  
  
    “Uh, we were hoping you could tell us that.” Kai frowned. “You didn’t come back for ages. Me and Lloyd found you and Echo out cold on the roof.”   
  
    “I... I don’t remember.” Zane pressed his palm against his head. Not a single thing, not a blip of information.   
  
    Jay sighed. “It’s not some other freaky virus attack is it? Could that have spread?”   
  
    Could it? Zane quickly ran a diagnostic on his systems to see if anything was out of place. So far he couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary.   
  
    “Maybe our enemy is even more tech savvy than we thought.” Lloyd mumbled.   
  
    “Ah, that wouldn’t surprise me.” Borg pushed his glasses up his nose.   
  
    “What do you mean?” Nya said.  
  
    “Well, I didn’t consider it until you all came back, but a couple of weeks ago my entire system was hacked.”   
  
    Zane’s eyes went wide and he stood, the rest of the team following him. “Are you certain?”  
  
    “Oh yes, got past every bit of security I had. I finally managed to purge them out of the system, but they snagged a few of my files.”  
  
    “Did you run a trace program?” Pixal spoke up.   
  
    “I had one going, but we both know it’s not as good as yours.” He laughed. “If you’d like to take it over you can.”  
  
    He didn’t need to say that twice. Zane could already see her bringing it up on the screen, the lines moving at twice the speed now.   
  
    “What did they take?” Jay said. “Do you remember?”   
  
    “Ah, well.” Borg cringed. “All the information they seemed to be after had to do with Dr. Julien’s old research.”   
  
    Zane’s chest felt tight. His father? Why were they after something like that?  
  
    His gaze fell back to Echo, once again thinking about how all this started when Echo showed up. Someone was definitely pulling some strings and knowing what information they were after, this situation only got more dangerous.  
  
    The only thing he couldn’t put together was what on earth this had to do with Nadakhan’s lamp.   
  
    “Jeez, it’s barely been two days and I feel like we’re getting hit from every corner.” Jay sighed. “Can’t whoever’s doing this at least slow down?”   
  
    Zane could at least agree with that.  
  
    There was a faint chime. Everyone in the room looked over at the sofa Echo was on as the light in his eyes came back.  
  
    Jay was the first to rush over, soon followed by the rest of the team.  
  
    “Echo?” Jay asked. “You okay?”   
  
    “Ah, I believe so?” The nindroid glanced around before sitting up. “Did something happen?”  
  
    “You don’t remember either?” Kai said. “Man, whoever did this really did a number on you and Zane.”   
  
    “I remember going up to the roof to look at the view. Nothing after that.” Echo almost seemed scared as he began to fiddle with the strings on Kai’s hoodie. “Did we get attacked?”   
  
    “No telling.” Nya said. “There aren’t any injuries on either of you at least. We think you could have been hacked.”   
  
    But by what? And why couldn’t Zane remember anything happening to his systems?   
  
    It gave him a headache.   
  
    “I found something.”   
  
    Pixal’s voice had all of them rushing over to the monitor, Echo not far behind. Her trace program had finished, the small red dot flashing on the map.   
  
    “The source from when Borg’s systems were hacked is here.”   
  
    “All the way up north?” Jay frowned. “In the mountains?”  
  
    “That’s the Hypnobrai tomb.” Lloyd pointed. “I know. I wouldn’t forget about that.”   
  
    “What are we saying snakes are behind this?” Cole said. “That sounds absolutely crazy.”  
  
    “Hey, we at least know Pythor knew his way around a computer.” Kai pointed out. “Not to mention all the stuff he did to help the Overlord back then.”  
  
    Zane shivered, not wanting to think about that fight.   
  
    “It almost makes sense for Pythor to be behind this.” Lloyd added. “I mean, he’s always trying to get revenge on us, and he’s pretty clever. Even if he’s not the only one involved.”   
  
    Yes, that made sense, or at the least it was a lead.  
  
    “Should we go check the tomb out?” Kai asked.  
  
    “I suggest you all get some rest.” Pixal said. “We have a location, it would be best to launch an attack before dawn.”   
  
    “She has a point.” Lloyd yawned. “All of us are completely wiped right now. Set an alarm on your communicators, we’ll get there before the sun comes up. Hopefully if someone’s hiding there they’re still napping.”   
  
    Zane felt impatient, but agreed. Going in while the team was exhausted was dangerous. Even if they found no one there it was possible they’d find some clues.   
  
    “I have some spare beds in the medical bay just a few floors below.” Borg wheeled himself toward the door. “I’ll go ahead and guide you there.”   
  
    Zane didn’t follow. He didn’t need nearly as much sleep as his team. He waved at Cole when his boyfriend said goodnight before turning back to the monitor. Why would someone set up a base there? Especially in terms of tech. Sitting in the cold couldn’t be good for it, not that he would know. He was always the exception to that rule.   
  
    “Zane?”  
  
    Echo’s voice surprised him. Then again he shouldn’t expect his little brother to follow the others. It was debatable if he needed sleep either.   
  
    “Yes?”   
  
    Echo still looked frightened. “You... do you not remember anything about what happened?”  
  
    Zane frowned. “No.”  
  
    “I... sorry.” He glanced at the door. “To be honest, it’s not the first time I’ve had a blank in my memory. It’s been happening for almost a month now. Maybe... Maybe whoever’s behind this has been hacking into me for a while.”  
  
    Zane sighed and reached out, gripping Echo’s shoulder.  
  
    “We’ll find them, do not worry. And it’s not as if they have control of you programming right? You can’t sense anyone in there?”  
  
    Echo shook his head.  
  
    “Then we’ll figure it out. Do you need to rest?”  
  
    “I was just unconscious for over an hour, I can stay up a little longer.” Echo’s fear finally left. In fact he almost looked smug? It made Zane smile.   
  
    “Very well then. Pixal’s systems are almost back up. Help me sort through security footage.”   
  
    Echo grinned. “Okay!”   
  
❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄  
  
    Pixal had told the team to wait, get some rest. It was sound advice, but not advice she was about to follow herself.  
  
    After all, if the person they were after was this skilled at hacking there’s no way they wouldn’t notice themselves being traced. Pixal was on a time crunch to get there before they abandoned ship or deleted any data.   
  
    She got into her mech the second she found the location, chatting with the ninja as she flew to the tomb. Sadly it was high up in the mountains, and she was forced to land her mech closer to the village and take the rest on by foot.   
  
    Thankfully she could deal with the cold temperatures and the snow. She kept her guard up as she traveled, trying to listen out for anything unusual. These people likely knew she was coming. She had to be cautious.   
  
    The entrance to the tomb was open, either a bad sign or a good one. As far as they knew there wasn’t an easy way to reseal the tombs, so perhaps it always stayed that way.  
  
    Pixal kept a hand on her sword as she made her way inside. It was dark, but the low light reflecting off all the ice kept it bright enough she didn’t have to turn on her night vision. The tomb was huge. Apart from the center room there were dozens of smaller caves that lead who knew where. She needed to figure out a direction and go from there. She activated her sensors, seeing if she could pick up a clue.  
  
    There. She was detecting a trace of smoke and soot. Someone was burning a fire. She followed the trail down one of the hallways on the far end of the room. It was long, tedious, a few turning points that she didn’t take. She stuck to the trail.  
  
    It finally lead her to this room. The door on it looked fairly new and out of place. She listened carefully for any sounds on the other side but detected none. She nudged it open. The glow from the fire forced her to adjust her vision. She kept her eye out for any life signals in case someone was hiding.  
  
    Bit by bit she opened the door but didn’t see any people inside. Instead she took in the fire pit, the generator, and the large computer nearby. There were wires on all sides of it, all coming down to a desk where five monitors sat. No keyboard of anykind, strange.   
  
    There was a chair in front of the desk, empty, as well as a plastic cup. Judging from the temperature it’d been filled with something cold.   
  
    But where were the hackers? They couldn’t have gone far.   
  
    No, no point in worrying about that. She’d hack the computer first and get some information before going any farther.  
  
    Pixal stepped over to the screens. Without a way to type she’d just have to go in directly from the computer. She headed over to the tower only to pause.  
  
     _“Hello Pixal.”_   
  
    Panic rushed through her. She drew her swords and turned to the sounds. All the monitors had gone black. One by one a symbol appeared in the center, the shape of a snowflake made out of circuits.   
  
    “How did you know my name?” She still had her voice changer on.   
  
     _“You’ll be amazed by what I can do.”_ The voice taunted. Sadly it didn’t give her any clues as to who was behind it, it was far too distorted.   
  
    “What are you after?”  
  
   _“Cute, but I’m not telling you that. I mean, I’d rather not kill you.”_  
  
    She gripped her swords tighter. “I would like to see you try.”   
  
   _“You’re a machine, Pixal. I know my way around machines.”_   
  
    She detected the movement to her right, swinging her sword out. She couldn’t identify his face. Between his scarf, his hoodie, and the ski goggles over his eyes there weren’t a lot of features she could cling to. The only notable thing was his white hair and his nose ring.  
  
    No time for snap shots. She rushed forward to grab him. A holoscreen came out of his jacket, his fingers tapping at the screen.  
  
    Water suddenly poured on the fire nearby. The lights went out. Pixal’s vision adjusted, but a second too late. One of those gloved hands reached her throat and electricity shot through her system.   
  
    Within seconds it overloaded and she shut down.   
  
❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄  
  
    Zane’s concern was back through the roof again.   
  
    Not long into digging through security footage it all just shut down. He tried to contact Pixal with no response. Hadn’t she gotten rid of the virus? What was happening?   
  
    He wasn’t sure what to do about his next course of action. Pixal had come back from worse. At one point she had been missing for over a month before coming back online.  
  
    Zane prayed that wasn’t the case this time.  
  
    He was tempted to wake up the team, but if they wanted to launch this attack with everything they had they needed their rest.  
  
    He did wake them up thirty minutes early though.  
  
    They complained, of course, but when he explained the situation they rushed to get ready. Cole was moving the fastest out of all of them. He was on The Bounty within minutes, standing in front of the control panel calling out Pixal’s name.   
  
    She didn’t respond.   
  
    Nya took the controls, flying the ship to the mountains and leaving it next to the village. The team slipped through the mountains, Zane at the front since he was used to the snow. They left Echo on the ship for the time being. Jay assured them all he was a great fighter, but Zane didn’t want to risk it.   
  
    One by one they slipped into the tomb. Lloyd made a quick comment that it seemed different from the last time he was here. Then again it had been years, of course something must have changed.   
  
    They explored the halls in pairs, unsure of where to go. Zane came back empty handed, even more frustrated than he was earlier. At this rate this place felt like a maze.   
  
    “Uh, guys?” Nya called out from the next hall over. “You better get in here.”   
  
    Zane rushed down the hall with Cole, Lloyd, and Kai close behind. He glanced at the side doors but something told him that wasn’t the direction to go.  
  
    Instead he reached the end of the hall, with a door that seemed out of place. He glanced at it before he looked at Nya who stared back at him. Jay was pacing around in the room, eyes wide and hands on his head.  
  
    “What is it?” Zane stepped around her to get a better look in the room. His gaze was instantly drawn to the blue uniform. Samurai X lay unconscious on the floor, but as his gaze moved up he realized someone had already taken off their helmet.   
  
    “Pixal?” Kai shouted while Zane’s system was still trying to register what he was seeing. “She’s Samurai X?”  
  
    “That’s what I said.” Jay shouted back.   
  
    All the shouting was turning to static in his mind. Pixal was Samurai X? Had this been going on since she vanished from Zane’s head?  
  
    Why didn’t she tell them?   
  
    Cole sighed behind him, keeping a hand on Zane’s shoulder. “Come on guys, we should get her to the ship and see if that computer has anything we can use.”   
  
    Zane didn’t get the chance to ask why Cole wasn’t surprised about this. The earth ninja stepped around him and carefully picked up Pixal’s tall frame. He adjusted his grip until her head leaned against his shoulder.   
  
    He met Zane’s gaze, almost looking apologetic.   
  
    Wait, had he known?   
  
    “Kai, Lloyd, check the perimeter.” Nya said. “The person who did this might not have gone far. Zane, can you help me search this computer?”   
  
    He didn’t respond at first. Confusion still swirling around in his mind. Pixal was keeping secrets. Cole was keeping secrets. Why were there so many damn secrets at a time like this?  
  
    “Zane?”  
  
    He blinked at look at Nya and nodded. “Yes, I can do that.” He shot Cole a quick glare before stepping over to the tower.  
  
    They’d talk about this later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ 
> 
> Outline highlights  
> \- But Pixal goes in by herself early to investigate. Bad idea.  
> \- the ninja arrive and find her like UH PIXAL??


	6. Override

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy
> 
> Angry Pixal is underrated

    Cole felt nothing short of nauseous as Pixal kept working at the ship’s computer. The only sounds he could hear were her occasional curses as she kept trying to clear out the system of viruses as well as find some kind of trace on the person she saw.  
  
    Reactivating her hadn’t been hard, thankfully. But that was about the only good news at the moment. The computer they found had been completely wiped. Pixal’s only photo of the person who attacked her was too covered for them to run a trace. The symbol she saw wasn’t leading to any results either.   
  
    On top of all this, Zane was pissed. Cole knew he was even though the nindroid hadn’t said anything. His expression was obvious and the fact he was avoiding both of them spoke volumes.   
  
    “I told you to tell him earlier.” Cole mumbled.  
  
    Pixal straightened up, whipping her head around to look at him. “Now is not the time, Cole.”  
  
    “I think it’s the perfect time if you ask me. You’re obviously not getting any leads.”  
  
    “Because somehow he keeps getting into my system and scrambling everything.” She outright growled, slamming her hands on the console.  
  
    Obviously, Zane wasn’t the only one who was pissed.   
  
    She let out a sigh, hanging her head for a moment. “I know you are correct, Cole, but there is nothing I can do about it now.”  
  
    “Could apologize.”   
  
    “That would require him to be present.” The image on the screen suddenly vanished. Pixal let out another growl, hitting random buttons for a few moments.  
  
    Cole tried not to laugh. “I’m not sure if you’re this pissed off because your identity got found out or because this stranger managed to beat you in a fight.”   
  
    “He should not have gotten the better of me.” Pixal snapped. “I should have been more prepared.”   
  
    “Hey, hey,” Cole got up and walked over to her. “None of us are. This guy majorly has us on the ropes, to a point it’s kind of freaking me out. Right now he’s got the entire board planned and we’re only figuring out what half the pieces do.”   
  
    “And that’s dangerous.” She crossed her arms. “It puts so many of us at risk. We still don’t even know what he’s after.”  
  
    “He didn’t give you a single hint, huh?”  
  
    “The only thing he told me is that he knows his way around machines, which, I have gathered.” She gestured at the screen as a handful of random images popped up.  
  
    Cole narrowed his eyes. “Is that... a deep fried towel?”  
  
    “Along with shutting me down he flooded my memory with useless stuff like that. And I keep... finding... it...” Pixal was actually shaking.   
  
    “Okay, breathe, or whatever it is nindroids do.” Cole gripped her shoulders.   
  
    “He is taunting me.”  
  
    “Yeah, he’s an asshole.”  
  
    “I will end him.”  
  
    He swore her eyes flashed red for a minute. “Pix!”   
  
    She blinked a few times and sighed again. “My apologies, this is... somehow exhausting.”  
  
    “Yeah, I can imagine.” Cole pulled her into a hug. “You can go lay down for a bit if you need to.”   
  
    “That would not make cleaning this up any faster, sadly.”   
  
    Yeah, maybe not. He tried to think of something else comforting to say, but the sound of footsteps had him letting go and turning around.  
  
    There was Zane, arms crossed and not looking any less angry.   
  
    “Uh, hey.” Cole tried to smile. “Here to talk?”  
  
    “I suppose we should.” The nindroid stepped farther into the room. “It would do us no good to avoid each other while on a mission.”   
  
    “Look, I know you’re a little pissed about this–”   
  
    Zane held up a hand. “Do not misunderstand, Cole. My anger stems from the fact both of you decided to keep this a secret from me.”  
  
    Cole considered mentioning how much he badgered Pixal to tell Zane, but he wouldn’t throw her under the bus like that. He was at just as much fault here.   
  
    “I thought we learned our lesson when that witch cursed you.” Zane jabbed him in the chest with his finger. “Keeping secrets doesn’t do any of us any good.”   
  
    “I know, I know.” Cole swatted his hand away. “I’m sorry.”   
  
    “As am I.” Pixal said from behind him. “But do not be angry at him, Zane. He tried to get me to tell you and I didn’t.”   
  
    “And why not?” Zane’s voice distorted for a moment. “I wish I could understand what it is about my behavior that makes the two of you so hesitant to trust me.”  
  
    Ouch. Cole flinched at that comment. “Zane, that’s not–”  
  
    “Don’t tell me that isn’t the reason. What other reason is there?”   
  
    He glanced at the floor. He didn’t have a response to that.   
  
    “You’re too protective at times.” Apparently Pixal did, though. “I have my freedom back. I like being Samurai X. I didn’t... want to get dragged back just to be an assistant.”   
  
    Now it was Zane’s turn to flinch. His anger turned into shock. “Pixal, I wouldn’t... I wouldn’t force you to do something you didn’t want to do.”  
  
    “Is that why I was stuck in your head for months?” She scoffed.  
  
    “I never realized you wanted something else. Why didn’t you say anything?”  
  
    “Because I still wanted to help you. I thought that’s why I was there, but then you weren’t even listening to me.”  
  
    Cole wished he could shrink. He was literally standing between them and their voices kept getting louder and louder.   
  
    “I didn’t...” Zane seemed to be scanning his memory for something. “I... I’m sorry I made you feel like you couldn’t speak up about this sooner.”   
  
    Pixal sighed away her frustrations once more. “Nevermind it. It’s over with now. I’m sorry for not telling you sooner.”   
  
    Was that it? Was it over? Cole glanced between the two of them. Zane looked like a kicked puppy and Pixal was avoiding both of their gazes.   
  
    Maybe it wasn’t. He should break the silence.   
  
    “So,” Cole said. “Does this mean the three of us can finally go on a proper date now?”  
  
    That made both of them blink, staring at him for a moment. Then Pixal giggled, covering her mouth.  
  
    “What, was that your goal?” She lightly punched his arm. “That’s why you wanted me to tell him?”  
  
    “It’s a fair goal.” Cole argued.   
  
    “I didn’t even realize you wanted this.” Zane frowned.  
  
    “Yeah, well I had to keep pretending Pixal was stuck in a computer and couldn’t go with us. Instead I had to settle with hanging out with you separately.”  
  
    “You hung out?” Zane’s anger seemed to be returning.   
  
    “He was helping me protect the city.” Pixal snickered.   
  
    “Without me.” Zane snorted and turned his head away.   
  
    Ah, he was being dramatic.   
  
    “Fine, fine, let me make it up to you.” Cole grabbed his boyfriend’s face, placing a noisy smooch on his cheek.   
  
    “Cole!” Zane complained.   
  
    Pixal was laughing, but sadly the sound was cut short. Cole glanced back to see what was wrong, seeing the static flash across the screen. Pixal’s eyes flashed along with it as she turned her attention back to the monitor.   
  
    “It’s not getting worse, is it?” Zane gently removed Cole’s hands from his face.   
  
    “It just won’t stop.” She said. “I wish I could figure out the source, but the jamming is preventing me from doing that.”  
  
    “Source?” Cole frowned.   
  
    “There has to be something nearby that allows him to keep getting into the system even when I flush him out.”   
  
    Did the guy manage to plant a bug on the ship? That could take hours to search for. Where did he even manage it? When they were parked outside the museum? That almost made sense. Make them go to the museum to investigate, drop a bug while they were gone. But there’s no way Pixal wouldn’t have seen someone sneaking onto the ship.   
  
    Unless...  
  
    Cole swallowed and kept that suspicion to himself for now, especially with Zane there. He’d tell him, but not until they had more proof.   
  
    For now he should go find Nya.   
  
❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄  
  
    “It seems I won again.”   
  
    “You’re using nindroid reflexes to cheat.” Jay was only half pouting as he stared at the victory screen. Fighting games were never his forte anyway. He was better with racing ones.   
  
    “I told you, I’ve never played a video game.” Echo said.  
  
    “I feel like you’re lying.” Jay grinned at him as he got ready for another round.   
  
    “Now why would I do that?” Echo smiled back. Mischievous, troublemaker, he was so much different than Zane who most times was always determined to follow the rules.   
  
    He decided to play some video games to distract himself from the obvious tension floating around the ship from Zane, Cole and Pixal. Jay didn’t know the details of what was going on there, wasn’t sure he wanted to. They’d probably sort it out eventually while Pixal tried to reorganize everything.  
  
    Assuming she could reorganize everything.  
  
    The guy who attacked her seemed to have the upper hand so far. Jay just wished he knew why.   
  
    “Is it always like this?” Echo spoke up, still moving his icon around on the character selection screen.  
  
    “Like what?”  
  
    “When you aren’t being constantly toyed with by a bad guy. Do all of you spend time like this?” Echo gestured to the TV.   
  
    “Well there’s this, but there’s also training, and chores.” Jay made a face. “And we take turns making food and such.”   
  
    “Like a family?”  
  
    That snapped one of Jay’s heartstrings as he looked at Echo. “Yeah, something like that.”  
  
    “It sounds nice.” The nindroid’s smile was soft, barely visible.   
  
    Jay was tempted to hug him, but the thought was interrupted by a knock on the side of the door. He looked up to see Nya standing there.  
  
    “Hey Jay, mind if I borrow you for a minute?”  
  
    “Huh? Just me?”  
  
    “Yeah, won’t be long.”   
  
    He glanced at Echo and shrugged. “Okay, be right back. Feel free to play some solo rounds, but don’t get too good while I’m gone.” He pointed at the nindroid with a half hearted glare.   
  
    Echo just had that mischievous look on his face again. “Of course.”   
  
    Jay shook his head as he headed out of the room with Nya. She giggled for a moment, but all to soon her expression turned somber. Had something happened? Was Pixal alright?   
  
    She lead him to her room where Cole stood, leaning against the wall.   
  
    Jay glanced between them. “What’s going on?”   
  
    “Jay, be honest.” Nya said. “Have you noticed anything off about Echo? At all?”  
  
    “Huh? I mean, I don’t think so.” He went over his own memory. Sure the nindroid seemed more lively but that had to be a result of getting off that island a year ago. “Are you looking for something specific?”  
  
    “Pixal’s systems keep getting jammed, even when she flushes the viruses out.” Cole said. “That means there’s a bug on this ship.”  
  
    Jay flinched, realizing what they were implying. “Hey, Echo isn’t our enemy.”  
  
    “That’s not what I said.” Cole raised his voice. “But he’s the only way a bug could have snuck onto this ship.”   
  
    “There could easily be another way.”  
  
    Nya shook her head. “Cole, he’s right. Echo coming back, mentioning the pot, the break in?”  
  
    “Him and Zane both going out on the roof of Borg tower with no witnesses.” Cole narrowed his eyes.   
  
    Jay’s breathing cut short. His chest felt tight. “No. Echo isn’t our enemy. There’s no way.”   
  
    “Jay,” Nya put a hand on his arm. “He might not be doing it on purpose. If this guy is as skilled as he seems, Echo might not have a clue.”   
  
    That just made him feel worse. Echo being the source of all their struggles and not even realizing it not only made him sick, but it made him angry. What kind of person plucked a lonely nindroid off an island just to use him for something like this?  
  
    Then again, if it wasn’t intentional, that at least meant most of what Echo was saying to them was genuine. There’d be a way to fix him, right?   
  
    “We don’t have to jump to any conclusions.” Nya lowered her voice a bit. “But we should start keeping a sharper eye out.”   
  
    Jay didn’t want to believe it. He didn’t even want to toy with the idea but sitting in ignorance wasn’t a good idea. Their enemy was pulling all the strings right now and Echo may very well be on the end of one of them.   
  
    “I’ll see what I can find.” Jay sighed.  
  
    “Be careful.” Cole said. “If this guy really is using Echo he’s probably getting a lot of information from him.”  
  
    Jay frowned. “Why do you think that?”  
  
    “He knew Pixal was Samurai X.” Cole kept his gaze to the side. “She kept her identity a secret, and it shouldn’t have been easy to find in her systems. However...” He crossed his arms tighter. “When Echo first found me I used Pixal’s nickname in the communicator.”   
  
    That already sounded like enough proof, but perhaps Jay’s teammates were in as much denial as he was. Echo was so determined to help them. Was it really just an act?  
  
    There was only one way to find out.   
  
❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄  
  
    Jay wasn’t about to interrupt video game time or dinner with these suspicions. It seems the others weren’t either. He and Nya would sometimes exchanged a glance but that was about it. Echo seemed absolutely delighted to help Zane out in the kitchen. It seemed the nindroid at least had a vague idea about how it worked, but had never seen a recipe like this before.   
  
    Jay kept pretending like his nerves weren’t getting to him. He could be a good actor sometimes after all. Jay asked Cole if he’d discussed this situation with Zane, but he wanted to keep it quiet without proof. Zane had gone through enough in terms of people using his father’s creations and research for evil purposes. It wouldn’t do any good to toss out that kind of accusation in front of him right now.   
  
    So Jay waited, until he could talk to Echo alone. He got his chance after the sun went down. Echo was out on the deck of the ship, taking in the view of the stars. Right now the ship was hovering around the city, not sure of where else to go for the time being.   
  
    “Hey Echo?” Jay almost felt bad for interrupting.   
  
    He spun around on his heel. He always seemed to twirl like he was dancing. “Yes?”   
  
    “What else do you remember about the guy who helped you off the island?” It was the first thing he wanted to ask. After all, the guy was probably the one who did this to Echo.   
  
    His yellow eyes glanced up at the sky. “Hm, he wasn’t that old I don’t think, but he was very friendly. He kept talking about all the towns he’d visited.”  
  
    Jay frowned. “That’s not quite what I mean. What did he look like?”  
  
    “I don’t know.”  
  
    “Huh? What do you mean?”  
  
    “I never saw his face.” Echo shrugged. “He had on these big goggles that worked like screens.” He pointed at his eyes. “And this scarf over his mouth.”  
  
    Jay felt his stomach twist. He snapped out his phone, getting the picture Pixal had sent him.   
  
    “Echo did... did he look like this?” Jay held out the phone. His hand was shaking. Please say no. Please say no.  
  
    Echo stared at the image, his expression going blank as he studied it. His hands hung at his sides.   
  
    “Polaris...” Echo whispered.   
  
    Jay blinked. “What?”   
  
    Suddenly Echo’s eyes flashed off. When they came back on that gentle yellow turned into a deep blue. The snowflakes in his eyes snapped over in Jay’s direction.   
  
    Jay was too shocked to react in time when Echo darted forward and slammed a fist into his stomach. His phone flew out of his hand, clattering against the wooden deck of the ship. He hit the ground, rolling over and trying to catch his breath.   
  
    “Well, it was only a matter of time before you figured it out.” Echo was speaking, but his voice didn’t sound right. “Was funny while it lasted though, right?”   
  
    Jay didn’t like that smile on his face. Everything about it was wrong. He rolled over again to create some distance before he got back on his feet.   
  
    “Let Echo go.” Jay growled.   
  
    “How do you know there’s anything to let go of?”  
  
    “Liar.” Jay shouted, sparks running up his arms. “I know Echo’s in there.”   
  
    “Beat him in a fight and I’ll let you find out.” The nindroid got into a fighting stance.   
  
    That wasn’t exactly ideal. Jay didn’t want to accidentally hurt Echo, but what option did he have at the moment.   
  
    They had to stop this guy.   
  
    Jay rushed forward. Weapons or no he had his electricity. That should be more than enough to immobilize him.  
  
    But Echo was fast, only faster now than he had been during their fight with the pirates. Running at full function, the nindroid easily avoided the hit. Before Jay could blink and elbow slammed into his chin and a kick to the stomach put him back on the ground.   
  
    Holy fuck.   
  
    He didn’t even get the chance to get up. Echo pinned him down, fist raised in the air, still smiling.   
  
    “Night night, buzz boy.”   
  
    Jay flinched, waiting for the hit but it never came. Instead the weight vanished from his chest. He opened his eyes to see Echo jumping back, out of the way of a jet of water.   
  
    “Jay?” Nya shouted.  
  
    He got up and looked back to see her and Kai there, elements at the ready.   
  
    “Oh, well this does complicate things a bit.” Echo said.   
  
    Jay got back to his feet. They had to knock Echo out. He didn’t want to but they had to. If they could hook him up to the system maybe they could force this guy out of his head.   
  
    “No matter. Let’s see how fast you all are.”   
  
    Echo shot forward again. Jay aimed an attack but Echo swerved around it, going straight for Nya and Kai.   
  
    Nya managed to block his punch and catch his arm, but Echo must be stronger than he looked. He tossed her off her feet before ducking away from Kai’s fire blast. The nindroid’s leg shot out, knocking Kai off of his.   
  
    “What’s going on?”  
  
    Now Zane stood at the doorway, eyes wide. Echo turned to look at him.   
  
    “Hello again, thief.”  
  
    Thief? What did that mean? No time to think about it. Jay rushed over to help as Echo ran straight for Zane.  
  
    But the ice ninja seemed better prepared, despite the shock on his face. His element rushed from his hands, cracking along the floor before snagging one of Echo’s legs. It stopped him right in his tracks.  
  
    “Of course.” The voice sounded even less like Echo’s now, growling with frustration. “Of course you would use that.”   
  
    “What do you mean?” Zane asked.  
  
    Jay didn’t wait for an answer. He nailed a punch right to Echo’s spine. Electricity shot through his system and into the air.   
  
    Jay flinched and looked away as the ice broke and the nindroid hit the ground.   
  
    “What is going on?” Zane asked again.  
  
    “He’s a sleeper agent.” Nya darted over and picked Echo up. “Our hacker was using him to mess up our systems, but I didn’t think he would...” She shook her head. “We have to hook him up and get the guy out of Echo’s system.”   
  
    Was that even safe? Jay didn’t get the chance to ask as Nya ran inside, past a very confused Lloyd. The entire group was heading for the control room, where Pixal was still working. She stared at them all in shock as Nya carefully set Echo up on a nearby table.  
  
    “Pixal, is it safe to hook him up?” Nya said. “We need to work quick before he wakes up.”   
  
    Pixal turned back to the console. “Hold on, let me set up a program to keep him isolated from the rest of the system.”   
  
    “Shit, what happened?” Cole asked.   
  
    “I was asking him about who saved him.” Jay explained. “I showed him the photo Pixal took and... I guess the hacker just took over his system.”  
  
    “What, just like that?”  
  
    “He could do so quiet easily if he’s been in there the entire time.” Pixal stated as her fingers worked fast. “In fact, it would also allow him to constantly edit and update Echo’s memory, which would explain why he can’t remember any of this.”  
  
    “So he’s not doing it on purpose.” Jay at least clung to that bit of relief. They’d get this guy out. Echo would go back to normal. Then they could find the hacker and kick his ass.  
  
    “Alright,” Pixal moved away from the keyboard and grabbed a cable. “Plug that in. I’ll see what I can do to clean out his system.”   
  
    Nya did as she was instructed, finding the port in the same place it was on Zane, around the temple. In seconds the monitor brought up a list of memory files and programs. Pixal was quick to sort through it. Jay didn’t miss the amount of files that seemed to be removed from the others.   
  
    Suddenly the whole screen flashed before it turned blue.  
  
    Pixal gasped, stumbling away from the monitor and clutching her head.   
  
    “Pix?” Cole caught her. “What’s going on?”  
  
    “How?” She growled. “I isolated his program, he shouldn’t be able to–”  
  
    “I told you before,” a voice came from the console, echoing through the whole ship. “You’ll be amazed by what I can do. At least you thought quick to disconnect yourself from the ship’s computer.”   
  
    “Who are you?” Cole shouted, clinging tighter to Pixal.   
  
    “Yeah.” Jay agreed, clenching both of his fists. “What do you want with Echo?”   
  
    “I want nothing from Echo, he was just convenient.” Bit by bit a symbol drew itself onto the monitor. The same snowflake that Pixal had found before. “Lonely nindroid stuck on an island, waiting for his dad.”  
  
    Jay stomped over to the computer, praying this guy could see him. “And what kind of sick bastard takes advantage of that?”  
  
    “Oh, drop the bleeding heart. Echo would have waited there forever without complaint. He’s a machine. Just like your samurai and your ice ninja.”   
  
    “You better watch your mouth.” Cole said.   
  
    “Or what? You’ll punch the screen? How scary.” The guy laughed.   
  
    “What do you want?” Zane spoke up, ice forming on his shoulders. “What is the point of you doing all of this?”  
  
    The laughter stopped. “I want what you stole from me, or what your father did rather.”   
  
    “What are you talking about?”  
  
    “Oh grow a brain, nindroid. Where do you think your ice powers came from? Did it never cross your mind?”  
  
    Jay blinked, his anger forgotten for half a second.   
  
    “Did your father never tell you where they came from?”  
  
    Jay glanced at Zane, seeing the ice growing along his arm.   
  
    “Right, of course he didn’t. Just more awful things to add to the list.”   
  
    “Do not talk about my father that way.” Zane’s voice was dangerously low.   
  
    More laughter from the monitor. “Wow, you’re pretty deep in denial aren’t you? Whatever, I don’t care. The point is I want my grandfather’s power back. You’ve got three days to meet me in Birchwood forest.”  
  
    “And if he doesn’t?” Nya snapped.  
  
    “Well, if he doesn’t then you’re not getting Echo back.”   
  
    “Nice try, but we have Echo right here.” Kai gestured to the table. “Even if we can’t fix him here we can at Borg tower.”   
  
    The laughter this time was so loud. Jay felt it digging into his chest.   
  
    “God, you’re all so naive. The body of a machine doesn’t matter. The data does. You’ve got three days.”  
  
    Jay wanted to sigh with relief when the screen turned back, but only halfway through horror seized him all over again.   
  
    Every file in Echo’s head was gone.   
  
    “No,” Jay’s breath caught in his throat as he ran over to the nindroid. “No, no, Echo? Echo?” He unplugged him, holding his face but the nindroid didn’t move. His eyes were black, empty. Jay could feel the hum of his mechanics but he wasn’t moving.   
  
    Echo was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ woops
> 
> no funny outline highlights this time u_u


	7. Decrypt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a bad habit of just making things worse

    Zane wasn’t sure what to do or think right now.   
  
    The amount of anger rushing through his system was only interrupted by the hollow space created from losing Echo.   
  
    Jay had been so desperate, begging Nya or Pixal to see if they could recover his memory. It was no good. Everything was gone. The only good news is the hacker was too and their systems were back up at full function.  
  
    Not that they had a lead. Pixal couldn’t run a trace at this point. They still didn’t even have a name. This bastard practically kidnapped his little brother, used him, and then tossed him aside.   
  
    If Zane didn’t meet him in the forest they wouldn’t get Echo back.   
  
    And what if he did? At least they had a motive. This guy was after Zane’s elemental power. It wasn’t the first time they faced an enemy like this, but this situation was definitely personal. He seemed to be accusing Zane’s father of stealing it from his grandfather.   
  
    Had he?  
  
    Zane had wondered once or twice about where his power came from. Elemental powers were passed on from generation to generation. Zane didn’t have a biological father, so the power must have come from somewhere else.  
  
    But he had trouble believing a man like his father would do something so malicious. Perhaps he’d had a good reason at the time. After all, if this is how their enemy behaved it wasn’t a stretch to believe his grandfather had been similar. Garmadon mentioned before that during the serpentine war that some elemental masters turned sides. Had ice been among them?  
  
    Zane considered all these facts, considered it logical, but something in his gut told him this wasn’t the case.   
  
    But until he had the facts it wouldn’t do to dwell on it.  
  
    They needed to decide what to do in order to save Echo.   
  
    “You’re not just sending him out there!”  
  
    The team was arguing in the other room. Jay was in hysterics over this situation and Zane couldn’t entirely blame him. Jay was just a lot more open about expressing his feelings on the matter.   
  
    “If we do nothing we’ll lose Echo.” Jay argued with Cole.   
  
    “That doesn’t mean just tossing Zane into danger.”   
  
    “Well if you know any other ways to find this guy, Cole, I’m all ears.”   
  
    “Stop arguing.” Nya cut in. “This isn’t going to help.”   
  
    “Look, just hear me out.” Jay said. “We have a whole team of us. He’s one guy.”  
  
    “You don’t know that.” Cole argued.  
  
    “Yeah I do. Did you see his hideout? You really think he has anyone else working with him?”   
  
    “There was the break in at the museum.”   
  
    “He’s a hacking master, apparently. You think he couldn’t get into their security system to set up a false trail to keep us distracted?”  
  
    That’s all the teapot had been, in the end. After Pixal contacted Borg he did some more research himself, finding out the teapot that got stolen wasn’t the one that matched Jay’s description.   
  
    Just something to keep their suspicions away from Echo’s sudden arrival.   
  
    “Listen, Zane meets him and we lie in wait. At the right moment we jump him. He no longer has eyes on us, we can do this.”   
  
    “He’s clearly not that stupid Jay. He’ll probably expect an ambush.”   
  
    No doubt. The hacker hadn’t even told Zane he had to arrive alone. It’d be foolish to assume that he wouldn’t be prepared, even if it was just a quick get away.  
  
    And if he got away then Echo...  
  
    Zane sighed and stood before stepping into the other room.   
  
    Everyone went quiet at his presence, looking in his direction.   
  
    “I think Jay is right.” Zane said.  
  
    “Huh?” Cole frowned. “Zane you can’t–”  
  
    “We have no leads. We have no way of stopping him. I want to get Echo back and I want more information on his motivation.” Zane shifted his stance as he avoided their staring. “I want more information on my father.”   
  
    “Zane this is still risky.” Pixal stated. “We still have no idea what he’s planning.”   
  
    “We have three days to figure it out.” Zane said. “So we better get to work.”   
  
❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄  
  
    In the end, they didn’t find much.   
  
    Misako knew about the previous master of ice and was willing to tell them what she did know. He never turned traitor against the other elemental masters. He was one of the eldest at the time of the serpentine wars. The other masters often went to him for advice if Wu or Garmadon weren’t around. While she only spoke to him once or twice she couldn’t imagine he was a bad person.   
  
    His name was Hale Polaris.   
  
    So the name Echo remembered had been false. Jay mentioned that he heard the last name before Echo got taken over as well. They gave the information to Borg to see if he could look up where Hale’s family was now, but it was missing.   
  
    No doubt their hacker didn’t want to be found.   
  
    So by the time day three rolled around they only knew three things.  
  
    One, this was an act of revenge. Whether it was justified or not wasn’t something Zane toyed with.  
  
    Two, this hacker wanted Zane’s elemental power and likely had a plan on stealing it. They could easily be walking into a trap.   
  
    Three, they had no other option. Zane wouldn’t hide like a coward and let his little brother’s memory be deleted. However this fight ended, they’d figure out what to do after.   
  
    Things had seemed more hopeless before, and his team always fought their way through.   
  
    Snow crunched under Zane’s feet as he walked through the familiar forest. It made him think about that time all those years ago, chasing his falcon through it, finding his old home. Finding out he’d been a nindroid was such a shock at the time. He’d come out to fight the treehorns with the determination that such an identity didn’t matter.  
  
    But now he was beginning to doubt himself again.   
  
   _“You were built to protect those who cannot protect themselves.”_   
  
    That was what his father told him. That was the creed he lived by.   
  
    It couldn’t have been a lie, could it?   
  
    Zane didn’t expect to find the hacker standing out in the open, but the location felt like an additional punch to the gut. It was just outside the door to his old home, the symbol still carved into the tree trunk.   
  
    The young man looked over at him, goggles and scarf still on his face. The wind blew at his hood and his white hair.  
  
    The goggles weren’t just black this time, however. The screen showed an image of a pair of eyes. Although simple in nature it was enough to show his expression.  
  
    “Huh, you actually did show up. Time was running short.” A holo screen appeared from a patch on his jacket, showing the time. He pushed away from the tree in order to face Zane head on.   
  
    “Do you ever plan on telling me your name?” Zane stared at him, ready to move if necessary.   
  
    “Eh, fine, guess that would be fair at this point.” The young man pulled his goggles up to his forehead and tugged his scarf away from his mouth. His eyes were a sharp blue, not a shred of remorse behind them.   
  
    “My name’s Frigidus.” He said. “Frigidus Polaris. Son of Ursula Polaris and grandson of Hale Polaris, the master of ice before you.”   
  
    “I figured out that much.” Zane said. “You truly believe my father stole his powers?”  
  
    “I know he did. My grandfather told me everything.” Frigidus narrowed his eyes. “He told me who Dr. Julien was. A dangerous, rouge scientist who sold his inventions to the highest bidder. A man who felt threatened by the elemental masters and designed weapons in order to fight them. It was thanks to him that they discovered the chronosteel they used against the masters of time, only for Dr. Julien to turn around and use it to steal my grandfather’s power.”   
  
    Zane reeled back a bit at that. His father had been responsible for that? He wanted to argue against it but right now he couldn’t. He didn’t have any proof Frigidus was lying.   
  
    “And you have no idea.” Frigidus snarled. “You’ve been carrying that power around for years remaining ignorant to where it came from. Ignorant to how much damage it caused.”   
  
    Zane clenched his fists. “My father never would have caused harm to someone without reason.”   
  
    “Your father took everything from me!” Frigidus shouted. He reached into his shirt, pulling out a large pendant on a chain. Zane recognized the stone in it. It was the same as the one that had been on Chen’s staff.   
  
    “That power is mine. It’s rightfully mine.” Was he crying? Zane almost swore he saw the glint of tears. “And if I had it back then, none of that would have...”  
  
    What? What was he talking about? Frigidus didn’t finish. He straightened up, loosening his grip on the necklace and rubbing his eyes.   
  
    “No, small talk is done.” He lowered the goggles back over his eyes, the screen coming back on. “Sorry. I’d like to say it’s nothing personal, but it kind of is.”   
  
    Zane kept his sensors up, trying to spot any oncoming traps. “You will not take my elemental power that easily.”  
  
    “Yeah, I know.” Frigidus’s voice was so calm now. “You have good friends, willing to do anything for you. Must be nice. Weird to think I could have been in your position.”   
  
    Did Frigidus know they were here? That meant their ambush would be a failure.   
  
    “But I think you know by now I wouldn’t have just stood out here alone.”   
  
    Zane didn’t get the chance to warn anyone. He heard Jay scream first before Cole shouted into the communicator.   
  
    “Nindroids!”   
  
    Zane whirled around, watching his team retreat from the trees they were hiding in. Borg’s nindroids were surrounding all of them, eyes deep blue.   
  
    “Thank Jay for me, by the way, showing me where to find an army.” Frigidus snickered.   
  
    Zane whirled back to face him, letting the anger rush through his system this time. Frigidus wasn’t going to get away with this. Not while they were on his turf.  
  
    Zane used his power to send the snow around them into a flurry. He rushed forward, intending to pin Frigidus down but the goggles must have allowed him to see regardless. He moved to the side, glove sparking as he reached for Zane’s arm.  
  
    Zane was quick to retreat. He couldn’t let himself shut down or Frigidus would surely get away. He tried to use the snow to trap him. Frigidus leapt out of the way.  
  
    “Hey Zane,” the hacker taunted. “Behind you.”   
  
    He glanced back a second too late. One of the nindroids nailed him in the jaw. The hit wasn’t enough to knock him down, however. Zane snapped back, ice rushing out of his palms to freeze the nindroid on the spot.   
  
    “Behind you.”  
  
    He couldn’t turn fast enough. Static rushed through him. It wasn’t enough to shut his system down but his limbs stopped responding as he collapsed in the snow.   
  
    “Zane?” Cole shouted. He sounded so far away.   
  
    He couldn’t move. His vision was flooded with error messages, only half aware as Frigidus rolled him over.   
  
    “Hey, don’t feel too bad.” The hacker held up the pendant. “Just taking back what’s mine.”   
  
    Zane didn’t remember what it felt like when Chen stole his power. It’s like something was trying to force it’s way out of his chest. It felt so cold and so hot at the same time. Now he was getting warnings for power failures among everything else.   
  
    “Thanks for your cooperation.” The eyes on the screen winked at him as Frigidus stood up. Zane moved to follow him, but his power was shutting down.   
  
    “Get back here.” Cole was shouting. By now Zane couldn’t see clearly. “Get the fuck back here you bastard.”   
  
    He had to get up. He had to help his team. He had to...   
  
    He couldn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also sorry for the quick transition but I couldn't find a reasonable way to go over those three days without it being boring, specially since I can just condense it into a few paragraphs
> 
> Outline Highlights:  
> \- The meeting place is in the frozen forest, irony.   
> \- He and Frigidus chat for a bit. Why are you really doing this, blah blah blah  
> \- RIP Zane


	8. Firewall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Worse you said? You wanted things to be worse? You didn't? Oh 
> 
> Well this is only debatably worse at least

    “What did I fucking tell you?” Cole was screaming. That was the first thing Zane heard as he slipped back into consciousness. His power still wasn’t at full function. They must be getting him some from an external source.   
  
    “What else were we supposed to do?” Jay shouted back. “Zane even agreed to it.”  
  
    “Yeah but who’s stupid idea was it, huh?”   
  
    “Both of you stop.” Nya’s voice cut in. “This isn’t going to help.”   
      
    “Then what is going to help?” Kai said. “We barely got a name out of him, still no way to track him down. He nabbed Zane’s power and he vanished. He was in control the entire damn time.”   
  
    “It’s not like we’re psychic.” Nya said.   
  
    “Will all of you please be quiet?” Pixal spoke up. “Or at least argue in the other room.”  
  
    She appeared in Zane’s field of vision, leaning over to check on him.   
  
    “Zane? Buddy?” Cole appeared now. “How are you feeling?”  
  
    Zane blinked and glanced around. “Tired, very tired.” Even though his system said his power was at half function it felt much lower than that. “He got away I assume?”   
  
    Cole avoided his gaze. “Yeah, sorry. The nindroids just kept swarming us. Didn’t stop until he was long out of range.”   
  
    “He must have found them when I went to check on the crystal with Echo.” Jay sighed. “Ugh, if I ever get a hold of this guy I’m going to zap him so hard his hair falls out.”   
  
    “Yeah, if we ever get a hold of him.” Kai scoffed. “We have no idea where he is.”   
  
    Zane forced himself to sit up, despite his system protesting. They were in Borg’s lab, probably the best place for him to be in his current condition. Pixal put her hand on his back, making sure he didn’t fall.   
  
    “I’m afraid taking your power did more damage than just removing your element.” Pixal sighed. “Your power source is having trouble keeping up with the rest of your systems. It may take a few more hours for you to fully charge.”   
  
    Zane stared at the cord that was directly connected to his open chest panel. He hated being in a state like this in a crowded room.   
  
    “Is Zane doing any better?”  
  
    Borg wheeled himself into the room, glancing around at the team. His face lit up when he saw Zane. “Ah, you are, good. How are you feeling?”   
  
    “Like I might shut down again.”  
  
    “Ah, yes, I worried about that.” Borg adjusted his glasses. “I’m looking to see if I can build an addition to your power source, at least until you can get your element back.”   
  
    Zane was too exhausted to be optimistic about that. Frigidus had played them like a damn fiddle so far. He’d probably do it again if they went after him. Getting it back should be easy, in theory, just smash that pendant. But they had to find it.   
  
    And Echo still wasn’t back, was he.   
  
    “That said, I am working on a lead.” Borg said. “Your team told me he said his name as well as his mother’s name. Knowing those I’m running a search to see if I can pinpoint a location.”   
  
    Zane didn’t respond to that either. Was Frigidus’s mother even involved in any of this? He stated her name, but Frigidus was the only one they’d seen.   
  
    “Zane? What’s up?” Cole gripped his shoulder.   
  
    He couldn’t seem to get his gaze to focus. His thoughts kept drifting back to what Frigidus said about his father. A rouge scientist and a thief, that couldn’t be true. The man Zane knew never would have done something like that.   
  
    “Do you think he was right?” Zane said. “About my father?”   
  
    “He couldn’t be.” Nya argued. “We all knew him. Dr. Julien never would have done something like that.”   
  
    Everyone nodded in agreement, except for Borg that is. The inventor was making a face, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.  
  
    “What is it?” Zane asked, looking directly at him.  
  
    “Perhaps there’s something I should give you. Perhaps I should have given it to you a while ago.”   
  
    Zane didn’t like the sound of that. More secrets? Were there not enough of those as it was?   
  
    “Sorry, I’ll be right back.” Borg left the room, leaving the ninja to chatter among themselves. Once again they were trying so hard to come up with a plan but it all fell short. Zane wasn’t paying attention to it anyways. Just what did Borg have? A lot of his father’s research had been entrusted to the inventor after he passed away. At the time Zane had been far to lost to go through any of it himself.   
  
    Perhaps he missed something important.   
  
    Borg came back, still looking like there was something he wanted to say. On his lap was a book, a journal it seemed. The edges of the cover were frayed, dirty, the pages beginning to turn yellow.  
  
    “Here.” Borg handed it to him. “I believe you should have this.”   
  
    Zane frowned, turning the journal over in his hands. There was no writing on the leather cover. He opened it to the first page, spotting the date. The first entry was forty years old.   
  
    Zane flipped through the pages, not reading the text as much as checking the dates. The entries seemed to be spaced apart in terms of time, but the dates kept going, even to ones after the final battle.   
  
    “Have you had this the whole time?” Zane looked up.   
  
    Borg dodged his gaze. “Yes, your father gave it to me personally.”  
  
    “And you never thought to show it to me?” Zane raised his voice. Cole tightened his grip on his shoulder to keep him from launching off the table. “Why did you keep this from me?”  
  
    “To be honest, your father asked me to in a way.” Borg sighed. “He said I could give it to you, or not, that I could use my own judgement on the matter. I think when you read it you’ll know why.”   
  
    He didn’t say anything else. He left the room, gesturing for the others to follow. They seemed to hesitate, but when Zane shot his glare in their direction they were quick to move.   
  
    “You sure you want to be alone?” Cole asked.   
  
    He wasn’t, but he was very certain he didn’t want anyone else on the team reading this before him. He nodded.   
  
    “Alright,” Cole sighed and let go.  
  
    “I’m going to keep an eye on your systems.” Pixal pressed her forehead to his temple. He tried to appreciate the gesture, but his fear kept trying to chip away at his mind.   
  
    Just what was in here?   
  
    Zane sighed and started at the beginning.   
  
    The first few entries were talking about the recent end of the serpentine wars, about the betrayal of some of the elemental masters. His father spoke at length about his distrust of them, of how they could easily use their power to take advantage of people. A pledge to protect the people of Ninjago could only go so far.  
  
    This was only confirmed when the time twins decided to betray everyone as well. His father talked about his attempts to build some weapons that could utilize elemental powers, so that people would have the opportunity to fight back. So far his research had hit a dead end.   
  
    But he reached a breakthrough. His studies with chronosteel had ceased until Ray and Maya worked with it. Their forging allowed the metal to actually be used to absorb elemental powers.   
  
    So he did.  
  
    Zane almost dropped the journal at this entry.  
  
 _Using the sample disc Ray and Maya forged, I found success. The ice master came to warn me off my research, so the response to that was obvious. Of course, now that I have this what should I do with it? A simple gun wouldn’t do justice for the element of ice. I’ll have to think of something else._  
  
    Zane’s stomach sank. His father really did steal it. And judging by that last statement...  
  
    Zane flipped a few pages.  
  
 _I finished the blueprints! It might take a bit of work for an invention like this to function fully, but what better to utilize an elemental power than a humanoid being? If I can find a way to mimic this power in others we’d have a brilliant way to keep the elemental masters from trying to control us._   
  
    He did drop the journal this time. No, that couldn’t be right. Zane was built to protect others. He wasn’t just a weapon. His father constantly reassured him that he wasn’t.   
  
    He couldn’t have been lying. It wasn’t possible.   
  
    Zane ignored his urge to cry. He had to keep going. There had to be more to this.   
  
    Most of it was stuff Zane already knew, just from another perspective. Progress upon progress of him being built, of how he developed. Zane was about to rush through all of it when something caught his attention.   
  
_It’s strange, perhaps unfortunate, but as I’ve watched Zane grow and learn I wonder if this plan will go the way I envisioned. Perhaps I’ve always been sentimental with my inventions, but this is far more than that. Somehow in my attempt to create a warrior I’ve managed to create another being with thoughts and feelings. It wouldn’t be right to make him fight, would it?_   
  
    Zane lowered the journal, not sure what to feel right now. Had his father’s intentions really changed that much from Zane’s presence? He skimmed over entry after entry, realizing Dr. Julien stopped talking about his research and just talked about Zane.   
  
_The falcon I built for Zane is finished! He loves it. I think the two are conversing in a language I can’t understand, but that’s fine. It’s nice to see him so excited. I wish I could take him somewhere to see more wildlife, but I imagine I’m still a wanted man._   
  
    Zane sighed, skipping ahead to the lighthouse. Was there anything about Echo in here?  
  
    He almost wished he hadn’t asked that question.  
  
 _It’s selfish of me isn’t it? Building this. I don’t know what else to do. The skeletons stopped coming. Perhaps they’ll never come back. I don’t even know if my son is alive. I may never see him again at this rate. I can’t replace Zane but... what else can I do?_   
  
    Echo was a replacement.   
  
    Zane should have figured. He knew it was logical if Echo once used his name. They almost looked the exact same. His father built Echo because he believed Zane was dead, because he was desperate to fill a void.   
  
    He wasn’t sure how to feel about that either. The concept of being replaced made him nauseous, as if he really was just a machine, but even his father admitted that he couldn’t. In the end, Echo was someone different. There were similarities but they couldn’t be the same person.   
  
    Zane kept going, hoping for an answer as to why Echo was left on the island, but there wasn’t one. Perhaps it truly just skipped his father’s mind.  
  
    Instead, his father prattled on about his son coming back, about the ninja, about all of them saving Ninjago. He prattled on about meeting Borg, about how Nya and Jay were bound to be brilliant inventors one day.   
  
    Zane tried to smile and even glanced back to the start of the journal. If it weren’t for the handwriting he almost wouldn’t believe the same man wrote it.   
  
    Perhaps he had done some unjust things in the past, but he changed, didn’t he? So what did all of that matter anymore?  
  
    Well, it mattered to Frigidus, perhaps for a good reason. Zane really had no clue what he’d been through. Perhaps his father’s theft of Hale’s ice powers really did cause a disaster.   
  
    If they found Frigidus, perhaps Zane would ask.   
  
    Zane flipped over to the last page, expecting it to be blank but finding a note instead. It was folded inside. Zane took it out and opened it.  
  
    It’s not much longer until the elixir stops working. I’m short on time.   
  
  _To my son, Zane, should you ever find this journal, I hope this final message reaches you._  
  
 _I’m sorry for never telling you. Perhaps if I had the time I could have gained the courage to do so. My only hope is not that you can forgive me for my past crimes, but that you understand why I was afraid. I can accept you choosing to hate me, but do not hate yourself._  
  
 _Please do not hate yourself. Your existence and powers were not your decisions, they were mine. My history, my legacy, my choices, are not yours to bare. Please believe that I truly do love you. That you are the most important thing in the world to me. That you are my greatest achievement, because you inspired me to do better. You made me want to be the person you believed I was. I hope I met those expectations. After reading this, perhaps not, but I cannot regret bringing you into my life._  
  
 _You deserve your life Zane, you deserve your powers, no matter what anyone says. Chronosteel cannot keep an element from it’s master forever. Maybe my initial plan was not for you to save the world, but plans often go astray. In the end, you did it anyway. I believe you will continue to do so. Your team needs you. Protect them, when they cannot protect themselves. If anything good came out of my life, I’m glad it was you._  
  
 _-Your father, Dr. Julien_  
  
    Zane curled up, clinging to the note, keeping it close to his face. Why had Borg kept this from him? Perhaps he never even read it. Zane wished he could cry. He wished he could do something.   
  
    He wished he could forgive his father face to face. It had been so long since he missed him this much.   
  
   _You deserve your powers._  
  
    Did he? Did he really? Frigidus was right, they were stolen. They were never meant to belong to him. Even if he’d been using them for the right reasons it didn’t mean he had a right to them.  
  
    But he still needed to be here for his team. Right now those powers weren’t just a means of protecting them, it was his power source. He couldn’t function properly without it.  
  
    He didn’t want to be a burden to them. He didn’t want to lack the ability to protect them when they needed it.   
  
    If he had to face Frigidus head on, then so be it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know I wrote that final note ages ago when I first thought of Dr. Julien's backstory glad I can finally use it somewhere
> 
> I love Dr. Julien u know, but I like to think he had a rather flawed past. 
> 
> Outline highlights:   
> \- Pixal’s trying to get them all to shut up as she helps Zane recover.   
> \- Find Frigidus, destroy the pendant, done.  
> \- If they can FIND him.


	9. Restart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some good news

    Jay sat curled up in one of the spare labs where the team put Echo. Nya said he should come get some breakfast but he didn’t much feel like eating. Didn’t feel like doing anything.  
  
    Even when the team went to check on Zane yesterday they found the nindroid combing through the journal, looking for something. Pixal and Cole were probably helping.  
  
    But as for Jay, he just wanted to kick something and scream.  
  
    Even after all that they still didn’t have Echo back. Did that bastard really delete him for good?  
  
    Borg said there would be a way for them to restructure Echo’s program, but it wouldn’t be Echo. Not really.  
  
    Jay sighed, resting his forehead against his knees. It hadn’t even been a week but it felt like months had gone by thanks to fighting this guy. He couldn’t believe this hacker, who was probably only a couple years older than them, outsmarted them faster than most of their past opponents.  
  
    “Jay?”  
  
    He glanced up at Nya’s voice. She peered into the room, a small box in her hands.  
  
    Jay glanced at it before meeting her gaze. “What’s up?”  
  
    “Well, I might have good news.” She held up the box. “Borg’s staff found this among their mail this morning.” She stepped over, holding it out to him. His name was written on it. “His security scanned it. By the looks of things it’s some kind of computer chip.”  
  
    Jay snatched the box, already ripping through the cardboard and tape. It was probably just a false alarm right? Some sick joke sent by this guy to taunt them further.  
  
    She was right, at least, it was a computer chip and a hefty one at that. It could easily contain all of Echo’s program and memory files but...  
  
    There was a piece of paper under it. Jay pulled that out first and opened it, Nya reading over his shoulder.  
  
  _Hey buzz boy, figured I should send this along since you guys did as I asked. Don’t need it anymore, and it’s clear of any bugs, you can have Borg double check if you want._  
  
_Hopefully we’ll never see each other again, yeah?_  
  
    Frigidus’s name was signed at the bottom and Jay glared at the signature, almost crushing the paper in his hand.  
  
    “Stupid goddamn Refrigerator.”  
  
    Nya snorted. “What?”  
  
    “Look at how his name is spelled. And all the ice nonsense? He’s a fridge.”  
  
    “Oh my god, Jay.” Nya shook her head and picked up the chip. “Come on, we should see if this works.”  
  
    Jay was probably far more careful than he needed to be. He was petrified of messing this up, damaging the chip. Right now this was the only chance they had. He prayed it wasn’t a trick.  
  
    He took out the empty memory chip and put the new one in, very slowly, holding his breath. Nya’s impatience was showing on her face.  
  
    Once it was in, Jay closed everything up. All they could do was wait for Echo to sort himself out, assuming that’s what they put in there. Thinking about it now, what if it was another trap.  
  
    But that didn’t make sense, right? Frigidus got what he wanted from them.  
  
    Echo’s eyes flashed on, that familiar yellow. He shot up in an instant, hand on his chest.  
  
    “Echo?” Jay said.  
  
    The nindroid turned, fear all over his face. “Jay? You... you’re not hurt are you?”  
  
    “No, no, I’m fine.” Jay held up his hands.  
  
    “I’m sorry.” Echo clutched the sides of his head, fingers running through the metallic strands of his hair. “I remember everything now, all those times he took control. I didn’t want–”  
  
    “I know.” Jay touched his arm. “Honestly, I’m just glad it was really you in there.”  
  
    Echo didn’t seem to hear him. “Zane? Is Zane okay? He had me go looking for Zane’s blueprints.”  
  
    Jay and Nya exchanged a look. She was the one to tell him. “Zane’s elemental power got stolen.”  
  
    “Oh...” Echo’s gaze moved down. “Oh no, that’s my fault.”  
  
    “No it’s not.” Jay gripped both of his arms now. “You didn’t have any way of stopping him. I’m sorry we didn’t realize what was going on sooner.”  
  
    Echo shook his head, but his body relaxed at least. “You couldn’t have, even I didn’t at the time. He completely scrambled my memory from the time we met on the island. After that, any time he took control of my systems he made me forget it right after.”  
  
    “Did he kidnap you?” Jay narrowed his eyes.  
  
    “Ah, no, not exactly.” Echo turned his head away. “He said he’d take me to the mainland, help me find out what happened to my father, even give me a proper upgrade. Going with him was my decision.”  
  
    “But he took advantage of you.”  
  
    Echo shrugged again, looking at his arm. “He wasn’t lying, exactly. I found out what happened to my father. He did give me an upgrade. The entire time he was so... kind. He’d tell me stories, answer questions, let me help his mom around the house until I was ready to head out on my own. I guess at some point during all the upgrading he hacked my program.”  
  
    “It doesn’t matter how nice he seemed.” Jay mumbled. “He was just using you as a means to an end. It’s not right.”  
  
    Echo slumped over a bit. “I’m sorry for bringing you this much trouble.”  
  
    “You didn’t.” Jay emphasized and pulled him into a hug. “This is all fridge boy’s fault, and we’re going to stop him.”  
  
    “Fridge boy?”  
  
    “Yeah, that’s what I’m calling him.” Jay pulled back, grinning. “It’s good to have you back, Echo.”  
  
    Echo stared at him for a moment, as if surprised. Then a light smile crossed his face as he glanced down. Were the edges of his eyes turning pink?  
  
    “Thank you Jay, it is good to be back.”  
  
    “Yeah.” Jay stood up straight. “Come on, we should show the others. I know Zane will be glad to know you’re okay.”  
  
    He held out his hand and Echo took it, still smiling. It was such a relief Jay almost hugged him again, but decided to use that energy to go dashing out of the room instead.  
  
    Finally, some good news.  
  
❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄  
  
    “Zane, are you sure this is something?” Cole kept glancing over the part of the journal Zane found a few minutes ago. Not long afterwards he was contacting Lloyd, seeing if he could reach his mother so they could ask her a few questions. Cole honestly still wasn’t sure what this was about.  
  
    He read the entry for the tenth time.  
  
  _It would be easier to emulate elemental powers if I could study how they work more closely. As it stands the only way I’ve heard of to take an elemental power is through a duel which they would not agree to. Perhaps there’s still some digging to do._  
  
    It was an early entry, about four months before Dr. Julien talked about discovering chronosteel. It wasn’t made into anything usable until a few months after that.  
  
    He assumed Zane was curious about the duel, but what for? Getting Zane’s power back was easy. Smash the pendant as soon as they found Frigidus.  
  
    Whatever, it’s not as if they had a lead on his location right now.  
  
    Meanwhile Zane must have not even heard his question. His boyfriend was pacing back and forth, much to the annoyance of Pixal who was back to trying to figure out where Frigidus went. There wasn’t a lick of information on the security cameras, meaning he was either covering his tracks or he wasn’t close to the city.  
  
    It wasn’t that unusual. They got jumped in the forest. It would take Frigidus a few days to get to wherever he was going.  
  
    “Zane.” Cole said as he shut the journal.  
  
    That got him to look in his direction this time. “Yes?”  
  
    “Are you sure about this? I mean, what are you even looking into this for?”  
  
    “It will be easier to explain if I have a full understanding of what my father was talking about.” Zane had his hand under his chin, like he always did when he was overthinking. “Hopefully Misako is available.”  
  
    As if on cue Lloyd and Kai came into the room, huffing like they’d been running.  
  
    “Sorry,” Lloyd said. “I hate how this room is so far from the roof.”  
  
    Cole frowned. “Did you take the stairs?”  
  
    “Challenged him to a race.” Kai wheezed. “I won.”  
  
    Cole shook his head.  
  
    Lloyd gave Kai a light shove. “Anyway, Mom finally picked up, can you patch her through Pixal?”  
  
    Pixal closed the security footage before bringing up a new screen. After a few moments Misako’s face appeared. She blinked before noticing all of them.  
  
    “Hello Zane,” she smiled. “And Cole and... Pixal?”  
  
    Pixal just nodded her head. They could explain this later.  
  
    Misako adjusted her glasses. “My son said you had a question.”  
  
    “Yes.” Zane snatched the journal back, turning it to the right page and holding it as close to the screen as he could. “In his journal, my father mentioned something about using a duel to get a hold of an elemental power. Do you have any details on that?”  
  
    Misako frowned, almost looking confused before she leaned back.  
  
    “I haven’t heard about it in a long time, in fact it was almost unheard of. I only know because of Garmadon.”  
  
    “What does my father have to do with it?” Lloyd frowned.  
  
    She shook her head. “Nothing really, he just told me stories about where the elements came from.”  
  
    “It was The First Spinjitzu master.” Kai said. “Right?”  
  
    Misako nodded. “But it wasn’t as simple as handing out the elemental powers. He gave the people at the time the opportunity to duel him for them. If the element deemed them worthy they became an elemental master.”  
  
    “Do you know how it works?” Zane lowered the journal. “Can they still be done?”  
  
    “From what Garmadon knew, yes, but in order for the duel to take place both people have to accept.” Misako crossed her arms. “And most people would simply reject the duel in order to keep their elemental power.”  
  
    “Why bother risking it.” Cole added.  
  
    She nodded again. “I asked if there were any duels after the ones with The First Spinjitzu master. He’d only heard of one for the element of gravity. If there were others in the past they went unrecorded.”  
  
    “Hang on,” Kai put his hands on his hips. “Zane you’re not thinking of challenging this guy, are you?”  
  
    Everyone looked at Zane who was looking at the journal page again.  
  
    “Perhaps,” the nindroid muttered.  
  
    “You can’t be serious.” Cole almost shouted. “What the hell Zane, getting it back is easy. We just have to–”  
  
    Zane cut him off. “I know what we have to do, but is this not the better way to handle it?”  
  
    “What are you talking about?”  
  
    “My father stole the element of ice.” Zane held the journal out toward him now. “He states it plainly in here. Perhaps it’s not meant to be mine, perhaps it is. Frigidus has just as much right to fight for it as I do.”  
  
    “He’s a bad guy.” Cole gritted his teeth.  
  
    “It’s only fair that the element decides for itself.”  
  
    Cole sighed. He wasn’t going to talk Zane out of this was he? He could already see Pixal surrendering and she hadn’t even tried to argue yet.  
  
    “Are there any more details you can give me?” Zane looked back at the screen.  
  
    “I’m afraid not, if Wu or Garmadon were still around they might but...” She sighed and rubbed her forehead. Her search for Wu must be taking a toll on her.  
  
    “I’ll figure it out.” Zane said. “Thank you. You should go get some rest.”  
  
    She chuckled. “Hah, not until I finish setting up camp. Thanks for lending me Falcon by the way, they’re a big help.”  
  
    “Of course,” Zane smiled.  
  
    “Call me tomorrow.” Lloyd said.  
  
    “I will, good luck with this. I hope it gets sorted.” Her smile faltered before she brought it back and waved. The rest of the team waved back before the screen cut off.  
  
    Cole was half tempted to bring up his earlier argument again, but he left it for now. They could worry about that when they actually located Frigidus.  
  
    “There you guys are.”  
  
    Everyone turned to see Jay standing in the doorway, grinning.  
  
    “What’s got you in such a good mood?” Kai tilted his head.  
  
    “Check out who’s back.” Jay retreated for a moment, only to drag Echo into the room a moment later. The nindroid hand his hands close to his chest.  
  
    “What?” Kai shouted. “When?”  
  
    “Just a little while ago.” Nya came in. “Borg got the chip in the mail earlier.”  
  
    “Fridge boy sent a smug letter with it too.” Jay glared. “But whatever, at least he’s a man of his word.”  
  
    “I apologize for worrying everyone.” Echo was looking to the side. “I wish I could have warned you sooner about what was going on.” His gaze darted to Zane who just stood there, clutching the journal in his grip. “It was my fault he got your blueprints as well. If he didn’t have those then–”  
  
    Zane moved across the room in three long strides before pulling Echo into a hug. The smaller nindroid seemed surprised.  
  
    “Don’t concern yourself with any of that. I’m just glad my little brother is safe.”  
  
    That only surprised Echo more. “Did you just refer to me as your younger sibling?”  
  
    “Well you are, aren’t you?” Zane pulled back. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this, and I’m sorry we couldn’t meet sooner.”  
  
    Echo’s eyes seemed to search Zane, as if there was still a question left unanswered. In the end, however, he just pulled Zane into another hug. Cole didn’t miss Jay’s hands on his cheeks, looking like he was about to cry.  
  
    Cole swallowed, he wasn't about to either.  
  
    “Ah, I apologize, am I interrupting?”  
  
    Everyone turned to see Borg in the doorway, glancing around the room. Echo pulled away from Zane.  
  
    “Oh! You did get Echo back up and running.” Borg grinned. “Wonderful news, and I might just have some more for you.”  
  
    “Really?” Jay and the others moved away from the door so Borg could come in.  
  
    “Yes, this Frigidus is quite skilled with computers. It made tracing his name rather hard, finding an address even more so. However, it must have slipped his mind that he didn’t put the same security with his mother’s name.” Borg grinned as he reached the main computer. With a few taps on his phone a familiar map came up.  
  
    “Jamanakai Village?” Lloyd shouted.  
  
    Boy, if that didn’t bring back memories. Cole almost felt a shock to his system as he remembered how they found a much younger Lloyd there causing trouble. Thinking back to their response to it, he cringed.  
  
    “Indeed, that’s where his mother lives.”  
  
    “Ah!”  
  
    Everyone turned to look at Echo.  
  
    “I’m sorry. It slipped my mind to tell you. My memory was scrambled before, but when he was upgrading me I stayed with him. He still lives with his mother.”  
  
    “Got him.” Kai grinned and slammed his fist into his palm.  
  
    “We don’t know for sure he’s there.” Nya pointed out.  
  
    “No, but his mother has to be a lead.” Zane had his arms crossed. “There’s not much point in mentioning her name if she wasn’t important to him.”  
  
    Cole blinked. “Zane are we going to threaten her?”  
  
    “No, no, that is not what I am suggesting.” Zane said. “But even if she doesn’t know where he might be we could always lie in wait.”  
  
    “Gizmo is still there.” Echo said. “I might be able to make a connection with him and use him to monitor our chance to strike.”  
  
    “Like I said, got him.” Kai grinned even wider. “Let’s get ready to move out.”  
  
    “I’m going to beat his fridge ass so hard when we find him.” Jay was grinning now too.  
  
    “Calm down boys.” Nya shook her head.  
  
    Cole didn’t say anything, but he couldn’t help but agree with them. If Frigidus tried to fight back, Cole wouldn’t hesitate to put him in the ground. Especially after what he did to Zane and Pixal.  
  
    They could plan their attack on the ship.  
  
❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄  
  
    “Mom, I’m going out!”  
  
    “That better mean you’re coming back soon instead of vanishing for three weeks.”  
  
    Frigidus laughed and rubbed the back of his neck before tightening his scarf. “I promise I’ll be back by dinner.”  
  
    “You better. I was thinking of making your favorite stew tonight.”  
  
    “You know I like it cold anyway.” He secured his goggles on his head before pulling his hood up. The pendant was still safely tucked against his chest. “But I shouldn’t be too long.”  
  
    “Be safe if you’re going up the mountain.”  
  
    “I will.” He shouted back to her before shutting the front door. The cool breeze on his face made him smile. It was only going to get colder in the coming months. What good timing.  
  
    Frigidus darted out of town, waving to the villagers that called out to him, but didn’t stop to chat. He had places to be.  
  
    Climbing the mountain was second nature to him, growing up here his whole life. Knowing where the paths were helped as well.  
  
    Besides, his destination wasn’t too far out of the village. It was a small clearing at the bottom of a cliff, next to where the woods began.  
  
    “Hey Grandpa.” Frigidus grinned as he ran over to the huge headstone next to the mountain. He dusted the snow off the top and made sure the name was legible. “You won’t believe it. I did it. Just like I said I would.” He pulled the pendant out from under shirt. The pale blue light glowed in the stone.  
  
    He hadn’t gotten to test it out yet. Maybe he should now. What was it his grandfather used to tell him?  
  
_“Could you summon blizzard? Bury your enemies in snow?”_  
  
_“That would be a bit much. I usually just froze their feet to the ground.”_  
  
_“Aw, you had to know some cool tricks.”_  
  
_“Well there was one...”_  
  
    Frigidus started small. It took a few moments for him to even figure out how to draw energy from the stone, but once he did flurries of ice and snow danced around his hands. He laughed, feeling the cold brush against his cheeks and his eyes.  
  
_“Tell me another one.”_  
  
_“I think it’s time for bed, Frigidus.”_  
  
_“Come on Grandpa, one more story from the serpentine war. Please?”_  
  
    He sent the ice out in a rush, eyes going wide as he watched all the snow around him flurry into the air with it. It sparkled in the daylight.  
  
    He stared at his palm, focusing the ice there until a dagger of it appeared in his hand. He tossed it to the side and focused on a nearby tree. He shot his hand toward it, dozens of needles flying forward and embedding themselves in the bark.  
  
    “Hah, did you see that?” He laughed and spun around, kicking up more snow. “It won’t take any time for me to get a hold of this I bet. I can’t wait to tell mom. Hopefully hearing about this will finally–”  
  
    Frigidus’s gaze fixed on the stone and he was suddenly painfully aware of the silence. Only the wind answered him, dusting more snow on top of the grave.  
  
    Something wasn’t right.  
  
    Everything should be perfect now. He had his grandfather’s power. He swore when he was younger that he’d get it back.  
  
    Perhaps it was bittersweet because his grandfather wasn’t here to see it, or teach him properly. His mom couldn’t either, she had no experience with it.  
  
    “I don’t get it.” Frigidus wandered back over to the grave. He watched bits of ice form along his fingers. “I got it back. I have it. So why...”  
  
    His chest hurt. It still felt hollow. After all those years why did it still feel hollow?  
  
    Because it was too late, wasn’t it? His grandfather wasn’t here and his mother...  
  
    Frigidus curled up in the snow, trying to focus on the cold as that memory tried to swarm back in. He summoned more ice on his hands, pressing it against the sides of his face.  
  
    It didn’t seem to matter how much he summoned. Heat still licked against his skin. The scent of smoke filled his nose.  
  
    He accomplished his mission too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hm
> 
> no funny outline highlights this time rip


	10. Gateway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last week of updates y'all ready?

    Zane was hesitant to knock on the door. Everything about this felt too normal, too easy. It was just another calm day in the village. People were shuffling about. A gentleman was selling fruit by a stand just down the road.   
  
    But it would be silly to expect anything else, right?   
  
    Most of his team stood behind him, save for Pixal and Echo. The two of them were hovering above, seeing if they could spot him in case he made a run for it. Echo volunteered because, at the moment, he wasn’t sure he could look Frigidus’s mom in the eye.   
  
    Zane sighed to shake off his nerves as he knocked on the door. What would her reaction be? Would she send them away without a word? It was unlikely she wouldn’t recognize them.   
  
    “No no, Gizmo, I’ll get it.” The voice came from behind the door. It was soft, gentle. “Just a moment.”   
  
    Zane took a step back as he waited, sparing his team a glance. They all seemed as uncertain as he was.   
  
    Finally the wood creaked before it opened. Zane opened his mouth to introduce himself, but the words got stuck.   
  
    He had to glance down to see the Ursula’s face since she was sitting in a wheelchair. Her hair was long, also white like her son’s. Some of it hung over the right side of her face where Zane could still see a large burn scar. It went from there to her neck, possibly farther but her sweater was covering it. The marks were far enough along her face that her eye wouldn’t open properly and the corner of her lip was twisted out of shape.   
  
    She smiled nonetheless. “Oh, the ninja? Odd to see you here when things are so quiet. Is something going on?”   
  
    Well, if she wasn’t mentioning it he wouldn’t either. “We’re looking for your son, Frigidus.”   
  
    That made her smile drop. Her blue eyes studied him before looking at the others. He steeled himself for her to slam the door.  
  
    Instead she sighed, brushing back the hair on the left side of her face. “What did my son do?”   
  
    That surprised Zane, to a point he couldn’t think of an immediate response.  
  
    “What didn’t he do?” Jay complained from the back. “First he practically kidnaps my friend–” He was cut off when Nya punched him in the arm.   
  
    “Sorry about that.” Nya said. “Have you not been aware of what he’s been up to?”  
  
    “He went out a few weeks ago and didn’t come back.” The woman frowned. “He stayed in touch, of course, but he didn’t tell me what was going on. He said he would later.” She shook her head. “I apologize if he’s caused any trouble. He’s been acting strange for a few years now, ever since...”  
  
    She trailed off, running a hand through her hair.   
  
    “Do you know where he is right now?” Zane decided to change the subject.   
  
    “He didn’t specify, but I have a good guess. He probably went up to see his grandfather’s grave again.” Ursula wheeled herself back before turning around. “I can show you where it is on a map. That or you’re welcome to wait for him here.”  
  
    “Hah,” Jay snorted. “Wouldn’t that be a good surprise?”   
  
    Zane shook his head as he stepped inside. “No, I should go up and meet him.”  
  
    “Are you still talking about doing that duel?” Cole hissed.   
  
    “It’s the most fair way of deciding this.”  
  
    “It’s dangerous.”   
  
    “Besides,” Kai added. “What are we supposed to do while you do that? Twiddle our thumbs?”   
  
    The thought was interrupted by a few beeps and a click. Zane turned and looked down to see Gizmo there, waiting.   
  
    “Oh, he’s asking if you’d like some tea.” Ursula opened a drawer in the kitchen and pulled out a scroll.   
  
    “My teammates would love some.” Zane answered.   
  
    “Hey,” Kai frowned. “I just said–”  
  
    “Well I think someone should stay here and tell this kind woman what’s going on.” Zane gestured to the kitchen.  
  
    Ursula glanced back and smiled. “You can call me Ursula, or Ms. Polaris if you’re feeling polite. But that would be appreciated, since my son has been keeping me in the dark.”  
  
    “Hey, I’ll volunteer to explain.” Jay glared at the corner of the kitchen until Nya elbowed him in the ribs.   
  
    “Zane,” Cole gripped his shoulder. “You shouldn’t go alone.”   
  
    “If I am not back within the hour you can come looking for me.” Zane took his hand. “Please, let me try and handle this.”   
  
    His boyfriend clearly wasn’t happy with that answer but didn’t press the issue further.   
  
    “Here,” Ursula opened the scroll on the table. It was a detailed map of the mountain. “It’s thankfully not that far out of the village, but it’s a bit of a climb.” She pointed to a small circle on the map, located at the base of a cliff. “You’ll want to go out the west exit and then head north from there.”   
  
   _“Pixal, can you send me a map of the mountain from your location?”_ Zane sent the message.  
  
    She took no time to respond. Zane uploaded it before drawing out the directions Ursula gave him.   
  
    He glanced to the side when he heard something click on the counter. Gizmo was standing on it, apparently having used a ramp to reach it. The smaller robot put the kettle on the stove before turning it on. Then he wheeled himself along to get the pot.   
  
    He glanced around the rest of the kitchen, noticing all the leavers and ramps. It seemed to be fairly well set up for the robot to get around.   
  
    It was a bit of a relief to know he was doing well.   
  
    “Goodness, I usually don’t have this many guests.” Ursula said as she put the map away. “I might not have enough chairs.”  
  
    “Oh, no, it’s okay.” Lloyd said.   
  
    “What have all of you been up too lately?” She wheeled herself over to the table. “I haven’t heard much about your adventures since that battle at Stiix.”   
  
    “You follow our adventures?” Kai said.  
  
    Her smile was bittersweet. “Well, it’s nice to know what my father’s power is being used for, yes?” She glanced at Zane before looking away. “Not that I’m bitter about it, mind you. My father wasn’t either in the long run.”  
  
    He wasn’t? That surprised Zane. It sounded like he’d have plenty of reasons.   
  
    “My son however...” Ursula glanced at all of them. “I assume that’s what’s going on?”   
  
    Zane shook his head. “I’ll let them explain. I’m going to see if I can find him.”  
  
    “Hey,” Cole grabbed his arm before he could leave. “Be careful.”   
  
    Zane nodded. “I will. You have my word.” He took Cole’s hand and kissed his knuckles. The rest of his team moved to the side as he headed to the door. All of their expressions were worried, concerned, save for Jay who still looked annoyed.   
  
    He shut the door behind him after giving them another wave. He had some climbing to do.   
  
❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄  
  
    The wind was stirring as he got close to his destination. It was almost staggering how much snow was on the ground. It seemed so much lower in the village and the elevation difference wasn’t that much.   
  
    Treading through it felt so much harder without his elemental power. Speaking of which, he checked his energy levels. Having them drop to low while he was up here was risky. The ice could do some serious damage to his system.   
  
    Finally he reached the clearing on the map. His eyes glanced at the staggering cliff but were quickly drawn to the deep blue hoodie Frigidus wore. His hood was up as he faced the headstone, hands in his pockets.   
  
    Zane kept approaching but eventually stopped about ten feet away.  
  
    “What are you doing here?” Frigidus asked, not even looking in his direction. “How did you even find me?”  
  
    “Borg found out where your mother lives, we asked her.”  
  
    That had him spinning around, those digital blue eyes in his goggles glaring at him. “What did you do to my mom? What did you say to her, huh? If any of you hurt her I swear–”  
  
    Zane held up his hands. “She’s fine. All we did was ask if she knew where you were. We wouldn’t harm her.”   
  
    His glare eased up but the tension in his shoulders didn’t. “I’m not giving it back. You can ask me or fight me, I’m not giving it back. It’s rightfully mine.”   
  
    Zane didn’t bother arguing with that at the moment. “Why are you so desperate to have it?”  
  
    “That’s none of your business.”  
  
    “You attacked my team, my brother, and my girlfriend. I believe the least you could do is explain why.”  
  
    “Your brother, huh? You’re really calling him that?”   
  
    Zane narrowed his eyes.  
  
    “You must have figured out what he really is.”  
  
    “And what makes you think you know.”   
  
    “What, do you think I’m stupid?” Frigidus rolled his eyes. “You think I didn’t do every inch of research possible? As soon as it was being released to the public I combed through every bit of public information about your father, and some not so public. For someone that capable in engineering and design what other reason would he make two nindroids look almost the same.”   
  
    Zane frowned. “Regardless of my father’s original intention, Echo is not my replacement.”  
  
    “Yeah, whatever, some other essay about how you have thoughts and feelings right?”   
  
    “You think we don’t?”   
  
    “I don’t know.” Frigidus sighed. “Part of me didn’t care but it sure made your program harder to dig through.”   
  
    “You seem to have quite a bit of knowledge in that area.”  
  
    “It was a necessity.” Frigidus stared at him. “I knew if I wanted to get that power back I’d need to understand your father’s work as well as he did. I knew if I was going to outsmart all of you I’d have to stay eight steps ahead. Finding Echo on that island wasn’t expected but it gave me the leg up I needed.”   
  
    Zane shrugged. “Thank you for bringing him here, and repairing him.”  
  
    “Don’t thank me.” Frigidus pointed at him, back on the defensive. “You know I didn’t do it with good intentions.” He seemed to study Zane for a moment as he straightened up. “Just why are you here anyway, alone. If your team was here I imagine they would have jumped me by now.”   
  
    Zane dared to take another step closer. “Borg showed me my father’s journal.”   
  
    That took the hacker off guard as his digital eyes blinked a few times. “His what?”  
  
    “It helped confirm what you told me, that he stole your grandfather’s powers.” Zane glanced at the grave. “It told me why he did it, why he built me, why he built Echo.”  
  
    “Hah, what?” Frigidus tilted his head. “You’re just admitting I was right.”  
  
    Zane shook his head. “Yes, and no. I was right in my thinking, that the man I knew would never have done something like that. But my father wasn’t the man I knew back then, he changed.”   
  
    “So what? That doesn’t change what he did. It doesn’t change the fact he never bothered to apologize for it, or never told you about it.”  
  
    “No,” Zane admitted. “And I don’t expect you to forgive him, however, his journal also gave me a solution to this dilemma.”   
  
    Frigidus crossed his arms. “Fine, I’m listening.”   
  
    “There’s a duel that can be done for the right to use an elemental power. As long as both people agree to it, the element decides for itself.”   
  
    “Didn’t you just admit your father was wrong for stealing it?”  
  
    “I did, but without that power I am more of a burden to my team. I cannot protect them. That is not a position I wish to be in.”   
  
    Frigidus rolled his eyes again. “Cry me a river.”   
  
    Zane ignored that comment. “It’s not something I want to let go of that easily, but it is a power that was stolen from you, so why not let the element decide who should wield it.”   
  
    The hacker seemed to consider this. He pressed his lips together, digital eyes looking toward the sky. “If I win, you’re never going to come back and try and take it again?”  
  
    “You have my word. But if I win you cease pursuing it, and you stay away from my team.”   
  
    Frigidus was silent for a few moments. Finally, he let out a long sigh, fog rising from his mouth into the cold air. He stepped forward.   
  
    “Fine, you have a deal. So how does this work?”   
  
    Zane shifted on his feet. “I’m not entirely sure, I’m afraid. There weren’t any details.” He held out his hand. “I suppose it’s simple enough to give this a try.”   
  
    Frigidus obviously didn’t trust him that much. He pulled the pendant out from his shirt, clutching it tightly in one hand while the other reached out.   
  
    Their palms connected. Zane tightened his grip, feeling something cold shoot from the tips of his fingers to his chest. There was a gust of wind, snow flying around them. The cold air made him cringe, but he didn’t let go.  
  
    Not until after he opened his eyes and realized they weren’t on the mountain anymore. It was a bridge, an ice bridge. The crystals were almost completely clear, everything colored a shade of blue. He glanced behind him to see where the bridge lead, but it was covered in a fog. As was the other end of it. The space below them slowly got darker and darker before turning pitch black.   
  
    “What the hell?” Frigidus looked around as well. “Where are we?”   
  
    There was a roar from down below. Zane watched through the ice as the dragon appeared, flying up. It was huge, so much bigger than when he summoned it. It kept going up, flying past the bridge, its wings almost as wide as the structure itself. Frigidus backed away from it.   
  
    The beast spun around in the air before hovering back down, looking at them.   
  
     _“Welcome, masters of ice.”_ The voice was loud but calm, the echo to it almost soothing.   
  
    “Where are we?” Frigidus repeated the question.   
  
     _“A bridge between souls. This shall be your arena. While you are here, both of you will be capable of wielding this element.”_ Every beat of its wings stirred up ice and snow. _“As your resolve crumbles, so shall the ice. The duel shall last until a victor is decided.”_  
  
    Decided? Decided by the dragon? Zane felt like that was left vague for a reason. If he knew anything about spending so much time with prophecies and destinies it was to always read between the lines.   
  
   _“Ice is cold and unyielding. We shall see if you have what it takes.”_ With that the dragon roared once more. The sound made the entire bridge shake. Zane worried for a moment that it might shatter.  
  
    But it held fast as the dragon took off into the air. When it was high enough it circled around them, perhaps in an endless loop.   
  
    “Well then,” Frigidus was staring at his hands, ice crystal forming on his knuckles. “Shall we get started?”   
  
    Zane barely had time to steel himself before his opponent rushed forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Outline highlights:
> 
> \- They go Frigidus’s house, at first just knocking on the door and oh  
> \- Welcome to the SOUL ARENA


	11. Harddrive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :, )
> 
> It might not affect you guys the same way but this chapter put me in pain to write so who knows 
> 
> but anyway, as I said last time, welcome to the SOUL ARENA
> 
> Also I? Don't think I need to tag warnings but I'm not always sure so if you think I do let me know and I'll add them

    Zane was quick with his ice. He was experienced with it. But it became obvious after just blocking two hits that Frigidus wasn’t ignorant of it.  
  
    He’d never wielded it before now. Where did all this come from?  
  
    It wasn’t that Zane couldn’t read his movements, it’s that Frigidus was using ice in ways he’d never thought of. He’d make daggers, needles, cover his arm in it as a shield. It didn’t help that any attacks they launched at each other they could dispel just as easily.   
  
    “You’re better at this than I expected.” Zane shook the ice off his arm. The air kept feeling colder and colder. He imagined it was part of the duel.   
  
    “Hey, even if he didn’t have it my grandfather taught me a lot. It’s a pretty versatile element when you think about it.” Frigidus summoned a staff. “Did your Master Wu not teach you stuff like this?”   
  
    Zane didn’t respond to that. It was a jab, something meant to irritate him, nothing more.   
  
    So Frigidus went back on the attack, but Zane was a quick learner. He made his own shield of ice this time. Both the shield and the staff shattered on contact. He was prepared to use the shattered ice to counter, but Frigidus spun around on his heel. Zane had no choice but to block the kick with his arm.  
  
    Then the ground shifted, as did his vision.   
  
   _Where was he now? It looked like the forest in the mountains. Was the duel over? The trees looked so tall._  
  
 _“Frigidus?”_  
  
 _He spun around, despite never commanding his body to do so. He saw a man approaching, bundled up in blue robes, staff in hand. The long hair and white beard felt familiar, even though Zane never saw him before._  
  
 _“Hey Grandpa.” A child’s voice came out of his mouth as he ran over._  
  
 _“Wandering out here again are we?” The man knelt down to meet Zane–no, Frigidus–in a hug, lifting him off the ground._  
  
 _“I’m training!”_  
  
 _“Ah, of course you are. But this isn’t safe weather to be out in.”_  
  
 _“The master of ice isn’t scared of some snow.”_  
  
 _The older man shook his head and pulled him closer. “Come on now, your mother is worried with this storm on the way.”_  
  
 _“Okay,” Zane felt disappointed as he curled up in the man’s grip. His robe was soft and warm._  
  
    Zane suddenly flew backwards and hit the solid ice of the bridge. It was so cold under his palms that it burned as he pushed himself up.   
  
    “The fuck?” Frigidus spat, also scrambling to his feet. “The hell was that? Did... did you see that too?”  
  
    Zane met his gaze. “Your grandfather?”   
  
    “What the hell?” The hacker took a few steps back. “Where did that come from?”  
  
    Zane glanced around at their environment, at the fog on either end of the bridge. “This is a bridge between our souls. I imagine as we fight a few things are going to slip through.”   
  
    Frigidus stood absolutely still until he glared again, gritting his teeth. “You stay out of my head.”   
  
    Zane got back into a fighting stance. “I have no say in the matter.”   
  
    The battle was on once more, Zane deciding to be more creative with his attacks. He had no weapons. He needed to use this element to the fullest.   
  
    Despite the bridge being ice Zane put down more, making the ground more slick. He slid across it with ease, increasing his speed as he headed for Frigidus. The hacker shielded the first punch, but the second one shattered it and hit him in the jaw.  
  
  _“Zane, Zane come look.”_  
  
 _Zane glanced up to the doorway of his home. His father’s head was poking out from the wooden ledge, grinning at him. The nindroid hopped up, running up the spiral steps to the exit._  
  
 _It was summer in the forest, the only time of year when the snow melted and the trees bloomed. His father eagerly lead him to a tree right next to theirs, pointing up to the branches._  
  
 _Zane followed his finger, spotting the nest of birds. A mother fed her babies that poked their heads out from the bundle of grass and twigs._  
  
 _“Oh,” Zane stared. “These are birds, yes?”_  
  
 _“Yes! Oh I’m so glad there’s one nesting nearby, surprised I didn’t hear the little ones sooner.” His father laughed. “Hopefully we’ll get to watch them when they learn to fly.”_  
  
 _“Can we fly with them?”_  
  
 _Dr. Julien laughed again. “No, no I’m afraid not. At least not yet. Who knows what we’ll invent in the future, hm?”_   
  
    Once again Zane was sent flying. Ice scraped against his cheek and it hurt far more than it shoulder.   
  
    “Hah, what was that?” Frigidus sounded confident, but his legs were shaking as he stood. “Trying to convince me he really was the stunning example of a man all those essays painted him as?”   
  
    Zane knew it was another jab. He had no way of controlling what memories were appearing it seemed, although his father was on his mind. Perhaps he could use this to his advantage.   
  
    “I was only thinking about my father.” He stood back up. “Do you never think about yours?”    
  
    That clearly pushed a button as Frigidus summoned two large ice shards to grip in his hands. “No, actually, I don’t.”   
  
    Frigidus swung the weapons like swords. Zane caught one and shattered it in his grip before blocking the other. Frigidus jumped back before spinning it toward him again. Zane caught it between his hands. When it shattered this time, however, the ice blew into his eyes, clouding his vision.  
  
   _He was in the kitchen, peering around the edge of the door. His mom–Frigidus’s mom–sat at the table, looking out the window. Her hair was up in in a bun, a scarf around her neck and a steaming mug in her hands._  
  
 _It was hot chocolate. She only drank that when she was sad._  
  
 _He wandered into the room, only just as tall as the table and tapped her arm._  
  
 _“Oh,” she spun to look at him. The scars on her face weren’t there, both bright blue eyes staring at him. “I’m sorry sweetheart, I didn’t hear you come in.”_  
  
 _“What’s wrong?”_  
  
 _“Oh, nothing. Still not used to the emptier house I supposed.” She looked back out the window and took a sip of her hot chocolate._  
  
 _Anger welled up in his chest. “Stop thinking about him. He’s a scumbag.”_  
  
 _She almost choked on her drink before looking down at him. “What? Who taught you that?”_  
  
 _“Grandpa called him that.”_  
  
 _His mother frowned. “I’m going to have to talk to my father.”_  
  
 _“But he’s right, he’s a scumbag.” He clenched his fists. “I mean... what kind of dad just leaves his wife behind.”_  
  
 _“Sweetheart–”_  
  
 _“Was it because of me?”_  
  
 _“No.” His mother put the mug down and picked him up, putting him on her lap. “You mustn’t think that way. You’re not at fault.”_  
  
 _She said that, but he didn’t quite believe it._  
  
    The back of Zane’s head hit the ice first this time, rattling his skull. There was a brief error message in the corner of his vision. A warning about the temperature dropping lower and lower.   
  
    “Damn it,” Frigidus was shaking again. “I told you to stay out of my head.”   
  
    Zane forced himself up. “Your father left.”  
  
    “Shut-up!” Frigidus launched dozens of shards at him. Zane ducked out of the way.   
  
    “You blamed yourself.”   
  
    “That’s none of your business.”   
  
    “But why?”  
  
    “Because I heard him! I heard what he said before he left. My parents weren’t planning on kids and he wasn’t ready and he decides he can just leave.” Frigidus summoned a proper sword as he ran forward.   
  
    Zane almost wasn’t fast enough to block the weapon with a wall.   
  
    “I never told mom I heard that. She kept trying to convince me it wasn’t my fault.”   
  
    “How could it be? You did not influence his decision.”   
  
    “Shut-up, you don’t know anything.” Frigidus slammed his foot into the wall, shattering it. “You don’t understand anything.”  
  
    Zane stood his ground. “Perhaps you are correct, but I would like to.”   
  
    “What makes you think I want you to?” Frigidus swung again.   
  
    Zane cut through the air. The blade shattered when it hit his fingers. His swing his other arm forward, fist slamming into Frigidus’s goggles. The plastic crunched under the contact.   
  
  _A machine. He was a machine. He thought he banished these doubts back in the forest but they were coming back all over again as he studied his own blueprints. It explained so much, but it made him feel sick._  
  
 _He really wasn’t like the others._  
  
 _“Hey, Zane, you coming up for training?” Cole’s voice drew him out of his thoughts. The Earth Ninja stood in the doorway, hands on his hips. “Nya says we should be ready.”_  
  
 _Zane stared at him, wondering if he should ask, wondering if it would change anything._  
  
 _“Does... me being a nindroid bother you?”_  
  
 _Cole didn’t answer at first, shifting his stance. “Does it bother you?”_  
  
 _“I do not know. I felt confident in the woods, as if this didn’t change anything but... I’m not human, Cole. Is anything I feel even real?”_  
  
 _“Well you feel it, right?” Cole frowned. “Whether it’s numbers or whatever it is our human brains do you still feel it. So it’s still real, right?”_  
  
 _Yes, that made sense. Zane nodded in agreement._  
  
 _“Don’t feel bad about doubting yourself. I’m sure it’s a lot to take in.” Cole’s cheeks turned pink as he rubbed the back of his neck. “But I know I don’t think about you any differently.”_  
  
 _Zane smiled. “Thank you, Cole.”_   
  
    The air seemed to get knocked out of him this time. His processing stuttered, vision glitching as he took in the bridge. This time when he stood up he saw the thin crack in the ice. He stared toward the fog, seeing bits of it collapsing.   
  
    Their resolve was dropping.  
  
    Was it possible for this whole bridge to collapse before the fight was over?   
  
    “Oh fuck off with that.”  
  
    Zane turned back to Frigidus. His goggles were gone now, broken on the ground. Blood came from a cut at the bridge of his nose. His blue eyes were sharp as he glared.   
  
    “Did you really feel that rough finding out you were a machine? At least you had friends, not to mention the one of them that’s been staring at you like you’re made of starlight for years.”  
  
    Zane hadn’t thought about that in regards to Cole, but Frigidus wasn’t wrong.   
  
    “And to think I could have been in your position instead, but no, your father had to snatch that from me.”   
  
    “We could have easily been your friends, Frigidus.”   
  
    “Hilarious.” Frigidus summoned a wall of ice before slamming his foot into it. The whole thing shot across the icy bridge.  
  
    Zane managed to leap over it. He created some shards in his hands, throwing them one at a time. Frigidus avoided the hits, although one cut across his cheek.   
  
    “I get the feeling there’s more than just that for you to be bitter about.” Zane summoned more shards, keeping them between his fingers.   
  
    “Wouldn’t you like to know.”   
  
    Zane hurled more ice toward him. Frigidus ducked to the side before running right at him. He sent up a flurry of snow, clouding Zane’s vision. He jumped back to keep a save distance, but by the time his vision cleared it was too late to move. The ice dagger shout out of the cloud and jammed into his side.  
      
   _“You can’t go.” His throat hurt. He couldn’t breath. Tears burned the corners of his eyes as he kept fiddling with the sheets on the bed._  
  
 _A gentle hand touched his head. He looked over at his grandfather who lay in bed. His eyes looked tired._  
  
 _“You know I hate to leave you and your mother, but there’s nothing to be done. I can only hope what I’ve taught you is enough.” His hand moved to Zane’s cheek, wiping away the tears. “Come on now, where did all your laughter go?”_  
  
 _“Feels like there’s not much to laugh about lately.”_  
  
 _His grandfather only hummed in agreement. “Life isn’t always easy, but you’re clever. You’ll figure it out. You’ll do something wonderful.”_  
  
 _“But I never found your ice powers.”_  
  
 _“So what? Do something wonderful without them. I know you will.”_  
  
    Zane gasped. It felt like something was trying to claw its way through his chest. The pain barely subsided as he sat up, ripping the dagger out of his side. The temperature was so low now he was shaking. Ice kept lingering on the tips of his fingers.   
  
    It hurt. The pain from the memory lingered because he recognized it. He knew what it was.   
  
    He glanced at Frigidus. He was panting, glaring, but the shimmer of tears showed on his cheeks.   
  
    “The fuck are you looking at?” He growled.   
  
    Zane forced his voice to stay level. “Your grandfather believed in you.”  
  
    “So what?”  
  
    “So why don’t you believe in yourself?”  
  
    “Stop analyzing everything.” Frigidus stomped on the ground. Ice jutted out of the ground in jagged spikes that raced toward Zane. He jumped back out of their reach. “You think just because you’re seeing all this you know me? You don’t know shit.”  
  
    “Don’t I?” Zane shouted back this time, feeling the cold build up in his palms. “You think I didn’t go through the same thing?”   
  
    He thrust his hands out, using a tactic he hadn’t in a long time. The cold shout out in a beam, bright white. Frigidus’s eyes went wide but there wasn’t any time to move as it hit him directly in the chest.   
  
   _He couldn’t. He couldn’t go through this again. Zane paced back and forth outside of the room. This couldn’t be happening, it just couldn’t. He just got his father back. His health seemed perfectly fine the other day, so why?_  
  
 _The nurse stepped out, glancing at Zane and the other ninja who all stood in the hallway of the hospital._  
  
 _“Is he doing any better?” Zane spoke too fast._  
  
 _Her smile was short lived before she shook her head. “I’m sorry.”_  
  
 _It wasn’t her fault, Zane knew that. He bit back his frustration and brushed past her to go into the room. His father just suddenly collapsed the other day, his health deteriorating at a rapid rate. Even the doctor said he hadn’t seen something quite like this before._  
  
 _“Ah, there you are Zane.” Dr. Julien croaked from the bed._  
  
 _“How are you feeling?” Zane rushed over and took his hand._  
  
 _“A bit strange with all these medications they give me.” Dr. Julien managed a laugh but it turned into a wheeze. “I’m more worried about you.”_  
  
 _“Father, with your health you should–”_  
  
 _“Zane, you and I both know what’s going on.”_  
  
 _His systems seemed to stop. He met his father’s gaze. His eyes were tired, gentle, but firm as well._  
  
 _Zane gripped his hand tighter._  
  
 _“I’m sorry to leave you alone again.”_  
  
 _“Then don’t go.” Zane’s voice didn’t come out right. “Don’t go.”_  
  
 _“Then again perhaps I’m not. You have good friends.”_  
  
 _“Father please,” Zane pressed his forehead against his father’s hand. “Don’t go.”_   
  
    Zane couldn’t move. He stared down the bridge toward the fog. More and more cracks were appearing. He could hear it creak and snap. Ice kept getting into his joints. The cold was almost a relief to the pain in his chest.   
  
    Get up. He had to get up. Zane forced his arms to move as he pushed off the ground.   
  
    “The hell did you do?” Frigidus’s voice cracked. The ice from his earlier attack was still there, jagged shards pointed in Zane’s direction. The hacker was kneeling on the ground, hand on his chest. He coughed.   
  
    Zane reached a hand out toward the spikes before tightening his grip. All of them shattered.   
  
    “Frigidus, please, I want to understand.” Zane lowered his hand. “I want to know why you’re so insistent on this.”   
  
    “Why do I need a reason?” He stood up, gasping for air again. There was ice still on his chest. “Your father stole it. I’m taking it back.”  
  
    “That does not explain your desperation.” Zane narrowed his eyes. “Does it have to do with your mother?”   
  
    There was a loud crack, likely from the bridge. The whole structure shook.   
  
    “We’re not talking about her.” Frigidus rushed toward him. Zane tried to back up. The hacker ran his hand along the ground and a wall of ice appeared behind Zane, spikes jutting out of it.   
  
    He glanced back to see Frigidus had summoned another sword. Zane ducked out of the way of the first swipe before summoning his own. The frozen blades crashed together, the sound echoing through the empty air.   
  
    Frigidus’s eyes were intense, nothing but rage behind them, and right now Zane could feel it.   
  
    “What happened to my mom is your fault.” Frigidus’s voice cracked.   
  
    “What do you mean?”  
  
    He gritted his teeth and shook his head before shouting again. He swung his sword again. Zane blocked it, only to feel Frigidus knee him in the stomach. It sent Zane stumbling back. One of the spikes went clean through his shoulder.   
  
   _“Let him go!”_  
  
 _It took Zane a moment to see anything. His face was pressed against the cobblestone path. There was a weight on him, something sharp against his arm. He twisted his head to look up, finally spotting the anacondrai soldiers. One of them had his mom as they stood in front of his house._  
  
 _“Oh don’t worry, we will.” Chen laughed. “But young ones should learn their lessons right? It’s not wise to antagonize Chen’s army, right everyone?”_  
  
 _The anacondrai soldiers laughed. Zane tried so hard to push himself up but the weight was too much. He had to get them off. He had to stop them before they hurt his mom._  
  
 _“Don’t hurt my son.” His mother managed to slam her elbow into one of the soldier's face before another one grabbed her by the hair. She screamed._  
  
 _“Mom?” Zane tried to free himself yet again. This time the soldier on top of his slammed his face against the ground. He could taste blood in his mouth._  
  
 _“Throw her in the house and block the door.” Chen waved a hand. The soldier’s did as they were told._  
  
 _She kept on screaming, banging against the door. “Let my son go!”_  
  
 _“Come on everyone.” Chen grabbed a torch. “Let’s show them what happens to those who oppose our army.”_  
  
 _Zane’s voice caught in his throat when he tried to scream. He reached his hand forward, still unable to get up. No, they couldn’t. They wouldn’t._  
  
 _They did. The soldier’s tossed the torches through the window. Others held them against the underside of the roof. It didn’t take long for the wood to catch on fire, smoke coming from the windows._  
  
 _“Mom? Mom?” He had to get free. He had to save her. She was the only family he had left. “Mom!”_  
  
 _The flames got bigger and bigger. Where was she? There had to be a way for her to get out. The soldier on top of him finally loosened his grip. Zane shot out, making a b-line for the burning building._  
  
 _“Frigidus, don’t!” One of the other townspeople grabbed him by the middle, holding him back._  
  
 _Zane didn’t let up. He pushed on his arms, kicked the air, anything to get free. “No. Let go. I have to help her. Let go!”_  
  
 _There was a sickening snap as the roof started to collapse. His panic only got worse. Fear gripped his chest so tight tears formed at the corners of his eyes._  
  
 _He could feel the heat from the fire. It ran over his nose and his cheeks, under his collar. Like fingers ready to rip the air right out of him. Every passing second the heat got more and more intense. The villager still wouldn’t let go._  
  
 _There was another snap, from the second floor. He heard his mom scream._  
  
 _“Mom!”_  
  
    Zane swore he must be crying. He still felt the heat on his face in spite of the intense cold around him. Snow was drifting around them now, staring to form a layer on his arm as he lay there. Just how much time had passed? That memory felt like an eternity.   
  
    He glanced over to see Frigidus sitting against the railing of the bridge. Ice was on his hands, pressed against his cheeks. His eyes were wide and unfocused.   
  
    Zane forced himself up, an error message reminding him about his shoulder. He ignored it. “Frigidus?”   
  
    “I told you not to ask about it.” He let out a sob before he ran more ice over his face. “I told you to stop prying.”   
  
    It all made so much more sense now. Zane gripped his injured shoulder as he risked stepping over. “If you had these powers you could have put out that fire. That’s what you believe.”  
  
    “That’s what I know.” Frigidus shouted. “I could have put it out. I could have fought them better. I could have at least given my village time to escape.” He stood up. His tears were frozen at the corner of his eyes.   
  
    Zane’s chest ached. “Because we couldn’t stop Chen at the island. I’m sorry.”  
  
    “I don’t want your apology!”   
  
    Frigidus slapped him across the face. Zane let him.   
  
_“She’s alive!”_  
  
 _Zane could barely breath as the men pulled his mother from the still burning building. Her hair was scorched, as were her clothes. He could see the damage to the side of her face._  
  
 _He tried to run over to her only for someone to grab the hood of his jacket. He screamed when he was jerked back._  
  
 _“Drop her.” The anacondri soldier growled._  
  
 _“Please,” one of the villagers said. “If we don’t treat her, she’ll die.”_  
  
 _“And that’s what becomes of those who oppose Chen’s army.”_  
  
 _“But she didn’t. I did.” Zane was nothing short of desperate. His mother was his only family left. He couldn’t lose her. This was all his fault anyway. “Throw me off the mountain if you want but let them fix her.”_  
  
 _The soldier tossed him to the ground. Zane coughed as he rolled over, trying to get back to his feet._  
  
 _“Beg,” the soldier pointed his sword at him. “And maybe I’ll consider it.”_  
  
 _Zane didn’t even hesitate. He pressed his palms against the ground as he bowed his head. “Please. I’ll do anything. Just let them treat her.”_  
  
 _“Anything huh? Hey guys, what do you think about a permanent lesson?”_  
  
 _Zane glanced up only to be picked up again by the collar. His shirt pressed against his throat, making it hard to breath. The soldier held up his sword._  
  
 _“How about we put a little tattoo on his chest for his bleeding heart?”_   
  
    Zane felt something sharp stab into him. His hand reached up to cover his chest only to find nothing there. He was leaning against the railing now as well, Frigidus sitting across from him. There were so many cracks in the ice. The blue color was turning white. How much longer could it stand?   
  
    “You know, I didn’t even struggle.”  
  
    Zane looked back at Frigidus who stared at his lap.   
  
    “When they put this snake on my skin.” He tugged down the collar of his shirt to show the edge of the scar. “I thought if I did they’d let my mom die.”   
  
    It was all Chen’s fault. Zane knew that. But at the same time he couldn’t help but blame himself. If they stopped the army at the island this wouldn’t have happened.   
  
    “All because I tried to be a hero and fight them off. Why did they have to do that to her?” The bridge shook as another crack appeared. “Why couldn’t I have just died. It was all my fault, right?”  
  
    Zane shook his head and stood. “Chen’s actions were despicable. The fault is his.”  
  
    “Yeah, that’s easy for you to say, isn’t it. You weren’t there.”  
  
    “I was, just now.” Zane stood in front of him.   
  
    “Then you know how much I wish it had been me.”  
  
    Zane narrowed his eyes. “Do you really wish to know how it feels to succeed in that regard?”   
  
    Frigidus frowned as he looked up. “What?”   
  
    Zane covered his palm in ice as he pressed his hand against Frigidus’s face.  
  
  _His hand gripped the gold tighter and tighter, despite the energy rushing into his system. He could feel his power source overloading. It was so hot and yet so cold at the same time._  
  
 _“Let go of him, Zane!” Kai’s voice screamed from below._  
  
 _He wouldn’t. He didn’t dare. He had to stop this fight. He had to stop the army. He was built to protect those who wouldn’t protect themselves. That’s why his father built him. He would protect his friends. He would protect his family. He would stop this twisted army from laying waste to the city._  
  
 _No matter what._  
  
    The memory didn’t finish. Right when Zane felt himself dying something exploded. He was sent flying down the bridge, skidding against the cracking ice. It broke even more under his weight, creaking and shifting.   
  
    He got up once more. Frigidus was so far away by now, but even from here Zane could see him gasping for air.   
  
    “What the hell did you show me that for?” The hacker couldn’t seem to stop shaking. Or perhaps he was shivering. “What the hell... what was that?”   
  
    “That’s my reason.” Zane walked towards him. His feet were trying to cling to the bridge. The could air around him was trying to form ice on whatever it touched. “I understand yours, so it’s only fair that you understand mine. I wish to protect my family just as you wish to protect yours.”   
  
    Frigidus glared at him. “But I couldn’t. Because of your father.”  
  
    “I know.” Zane kept walking.  
  
    “This is all his fault.” Frigidus raised his voice. The wind snapped around them. It felt like it was cutting through Zane’s face. Ice formed at the corner of his eyes. “None of this should have happened.”  
  
    “I know.” Zane repeated. He kept walking.   
  
    “My dad left, I lost my grandfather, I almost lost my mom, and now you’re trying to take this away from me too.”   
  
    “What do you plan to do with it now? The damage is done.”  
  
    “It shouldn’t have happened.” Frigidus screamed. The wind got sharper. “This power should have been mine from the start. Then I would have been the white ninja, right? Then I could have saved everyone. Then I could have made all those friends. Then all of us could have protected my mom. Instead it was you.”   
  
    Spikes jutted out from the bridge. Zane stepped around them, now using the ice to anchor his feet. The wind was so harsh, snow and ice blowing through it to the point he could not longer see the sky.   
  
    “I’m sorry.” Zane kept going.   
  
    “I already said I don’t want your apology.”   
  
    The wind felt like another slap to the face. Zane took the hit before meeting Frigidus’s glare again.   
  
    “I’m sorry.” He said again. “I wish none of this had happened, but I can’t give up. There’s still so many threats. I wish to protect my friends, and everyone else in Ninjago.”  
  
    “So why didn’t you back then?”  
  
    “I’m sorry.”  
  
    “Stop apologizing!”   
  
    Zane was only about ten feet away when Frigidus tackled him to the ground. His back slammed against the ice, feeling it almost give way. There was a hand on his throat, not that it mattered. He didn’t have to breath.   
  
    “I don’t want your apology.” Frigidus was still shaking. His tears kept freezing at the corners of his eyes. “I just want it to stop. I just want this hollow feeling to stop.”   
  
    Zane gently gripped Frigidus’s wrist.   
  
    “Is it always this cold?”   
  
    “No,” Zane said and tightened his grip.   
  
  _“Frigidus, when are you going to stop wandering out here?”_  
  
 _Zane looked up at his grandfather. The man was kneeling in front of him as he sat curled up in front of a tree._  
  
 _“Didn’t want mom to see me cry.” He mumbled. “She worries a lot.”_  
  
 _“Yes, but hiding away when you’re sad isn’t good. What’s troubling you?”_  
  
 _“Was just thinking about dad again, but I shouldn’t right? He’s a scumbag.”_  
  
 _His grandfather shook his head. He reached out, pulling Zane close to him._  
  
 _“Did I ever tell you the secret to mastering ice?”_  
  
 _That made him blink away his tears as he looked up. “No, what is it?”_  
  
 _His grandfather smiled. “Remember this phrase well, Frigidus. The key to controlling fire is a cool head. The key to controlling ice is a warm heart.”_  
  
 _“What?” He pouted. “That makes no sense. It’s like opposites.”_  
  
 _“I’m certain one day you will understand.”_   
  
    The bridge shattered.   
  
    With the sound of breaking glass, Zane felt his body go weightless. They were falling, shards of ice around them, reflecting the fear in his eyes. Frigidus looked just as shocked as he was.  
  
    Zane didn’t hesitate. He grabbed Frigidus and braced himself for wherever they were about to land.   
  
    It felt like he slammed into something, but it wasn’t a sensation he was expecting. His vision snapped back to the forest, Frigidus standing in front of him. His ski goggles were still on his face, the eyes on it wide.  
  
    “The fuck?” Frigidus glanced around, up and down. It didn’t even appear that time had passed. “What happened? Is... is it over?”   
  
    Zane looked at the pendant. The glow from the element was gone. He looked at his hands, feeling a familiar chill as snow formed around his palm.   
  
    “Hah,” Frigidus gave a strange smile. “Knew it.”  
  
    Before Zane could ask for clarification the hacker simply fell backwards into the snow. His arms were out, fingers gripping into the white powder.   
  
    It seemed a bit out of place to ask but he still stepped forward and leaned over to look at him. “Are you alright?”   
  
    “Don’t ask stupid questions.” Frigidus pulled his goggles off and stared at the sky. “Just kick my ass and get out of here.”  
  
    Zane frowned. “Why would I do that?”  
  
    “Are you thick?” Frigidus sat up enough to rest on his elbows. “I hacked your ship. I used your brother as a puppet. I knocked your girlfriend out. You have every right to kick my ass.”  
  
    “Perhaps.” Zane shrugged. “But I would find it much more productive to put it behind us and try something else.”   
  
    “Don’t be a sappy idiot.” Frigidus flopped back down. “Why would you want to do that?”   
  
    “There’s a few reasons. For one, it seems your grandfather taught you a lot about this element. I, for one, would like to hear about it.” He stepped a bit closer. “Second, I would like to make up for the mistakes my father made, if you’ll let me. And third, Master Wu said the best way to defeat your enemy was to make them your friend.”  
  
    Frigidus suddenly burst out laughing. It was loud, echoing against the cliff and knocking some snow off a nearby tree.   
  
    “Your teacher sounds like a crazy optimist.”   
  
    “He’s not wrong, even if making friends is not always a possibility.” Zane held out his hand. “But I hope that it is.”   
  
    Frigidus looked at his hand before meeting his gaze. “Think your team will feel the same way?”  
  
    “Whether they do or not isn’t my concern at the moment.”   
  
    “Oh, a bit of a rebel.” Frigidus snorted before he took his hand.   
  
    Zane pulled him up before spinning and tossing him face first back in the snow. Frigidus coughed and spat some of it out as he pushed himself up.  
  
    “What was that for?” He shouted.  
  
    “That was for threatening my brother’s memories.” Zane crossed his arms. “Consider it justice.”   
  
    Frigidus sighed. “Yeah, fine, guess I deserved that.”   
      
    Zane smiled and began to head down the hill. “Glad we agree. Come on, we should get back to your house. My team is waiting.”  
  
    “Hang on, they’re still there?” Frigidus darted to keep up with Zane. “What for?”  
  
    “Your mother wanted to know what you’ve been up to.”  
  
    Frigidus groaned, his hands running down his face. “She’s going to be so pissed.”   
  
    “More justice.”  
  
    “You’re a bit of a jerk, aren’t you?”   
  
    Zane chuckled, still smiling at him. “No Frigidus, I’m teasing you.”   
  
    Frigidus studied his face, confusion all over his features as he jammed his hands back in his pockets.   
  
    “Sorry,” Frigidus muttered. “For all that.”  
  
    “I know.”  
  
    “Excuse me?”  
  
    “You said you ‘knew it’ after the duel was over.” Zane looked back at the path. “You knew you’d lose, but you took my challenge anyways.”   
  
    Frigidus snorted. “I took the challenge because I wanted to see if I was worthy to keep my grandfather’s power or not.”   
  
    “But you knew you weren’t.” Zane glanced at him again. “Because at some point you realized you forgot that phrase he taught you.”   
  
    “Look, let’s talk the psychology later.” Frigidus ran his hand through his hair. “I need to worry about steeling myself for the lecture from my mom. Not to mention your friends possibly throwing me off the mountain.”  
  
    “They will not do that if I tell them not to.”   
  
    “I dunno, Jay seemed pretty pissed.”   
  
    “He is, mind the lightning.”  
  
    “Is that a joke?”  
  
    “Perhaps,” Zane smiled.   
  
    “You’re bad at them.”   
  
    “Yes, the others have said that before.”   
  
    Frigidus shook his head, but finally cracked a smile.   
  
    Zane liked to think he managed to make another friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue will be up saturday, and I wrote a Day of the Departed thing related to all this I'll be putting on tumblr on the 21st (and some art heck yeah)


	12. Epilogue - New Folder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some wrap ups to figure out where stuff ended up

    “I’m not sure a sword is the weapon you should be using.”  
  
    Echo kept his grip on the weapon nonetheless. He should do some training with something besides his fists. Pixal complimented his speed, but his attacks right now were limited.  
  
    Still, he couldn’t quite seem to get the hang of this.  
  
    “Zane tends to prefer long range weapons. Perhaps we should try that.” Pixal offered as she lifted the visor on her helmet.  
  
    Echo wasn’t sure about that, but practicing his aim wouldn’t be a bad thing. “Perhaps.” He held out the sword, letting her take it.  
  
    Pixal gave him a smile. “Do not feel down, you’re doing well.”  
  
    “Yes, but it’s not as if I can be a ninja, is it? I do not have an elemental power.”  
  
    She shrugged. “I doubt that is one of the requirements.”  
  
    “Maybe, but I was thinking.” He rocked back and forth on his toes. “What if I helped you out?”  
  
    She blinked. “What?”  
  
    “You know, you’re Samurai X.” Echo grinned. “What if I was your sidekick.”  
  
    “Ah, you’ve been reading Jay’s comics haven’t you.”  
  
    “I could even have a cool hero name.” Echo continued. “And some of my own armor. We can roam the streets of Ninjago, fighting crime, protecting innocents.”  
  
    Pixal put a hand on his head as she laughed. “You have more training to do before you consider that.”  
  
    “But it’s a possibility, right?”  
  
    “I will think about it.” She lowered her hand. “What would your name be?”  
  
    “I don’t know.” Echo put a hand to his chin. “Bronze something... Bronze...”  
  
    “Crusader!”  
  
    They both turned to see Jay walking onto the deck of the ship. He had a wide grin on his face, almost skipping over to them.  
  
    “You’ve got to let him try Pixal, I bet it’d be awesome. Samurai X and Bronze Crusader, Ninjago’s own super heroes.” He struck a pose.  
  
    Pixal shook her head. “Ninjago already has super heroes.”  
  
    “Yeah but they haven’t released merch for us in years.” Jay rolled his eyes. “And it’s not as cool when everyone knows your identity. There’s no mystery to it.”  
  
    “I’m not sure I appreciate you two treating this like a game.”  
  
    Her statement when ignored as Echo moved closer to Jay. “Bronze Crusader? You think that works?”  
  
    “Of course.” Jay beamed at him. “Kai and I can start working on your armor right now, oh man. You gotta find a weapon soon so we can line it up with that.”  
  
    “Hold on,” Pixal tried to cut in. “I did not say this was certain.”  
  
    “Oh, we should think of a catchphrase.” Jay gasped. “Something for you to shout when you come flying out of your mech. Me and Nya should build one of those too.” He started laughing.  
  
    Echo grinned, the excitement in his systems made it feel like his wires were going to burst. “What about a bike? Or a jet?”  
  
    “Hoverbike!”  
  
    Both of them were laughing. Pixal shook her head.  
  
    “Am I interrupting something?”  
  
    All three of them glanced to see Zane walking over, arms behind his back.  
  
    “Please tell these two not to get so excited.” Pixal said. “I haven’t decided if Echo should be the Samurai X sidekick or not.”  
  
    Zane chuckled. “Well I think it’s a good idea.”  
  
    “Yeah,” Jay pumped his fists into the air. “Team Bronze Crusader.”  
  
    Echo smiled but decided to change the subject. “Did you need something, Zane?”  
  
    “Ah, just Pixal actually. I was planning to check on Borg’s new intern. I wasn’t sure if she’d like to go see her father.”  
  
    Echo’s smile dropped, as did Jay’s.  
  
    “What, him?” Jay rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe you even got him that opportunity.”  
  
    “Jay, we’ve been over this.” Zane look at him before glancing at Echo.  
  
    Sure, they had. It’d been a bit of a shock when Echo heard about what happened. Not only did Zane come wandering back to the house with Frigidus, cracking jokes, but then his brother insisted the two of them were friends.  
  
    Echo heard the story. He understood it. But right now he still didn’t want to forgive Frigidus for what happened. Every time he remembered those moments he had no control of himself it made him want to spit sparks.  
  
    Still, this was his brother’s decision and he would respect it. As long as he didn’t have to see Frigidus again.  
  
    “Fine, whatever, but if Borg tower falls over I know who to blame.” Jay snorted and looked away.  
  
    Zane shook his head before looking at Pixal again.  
  
    “I think I could use a break. Echo, look over some more weapons you might like to try while I’m gone. We can pick this up again when I get back.”  
  
    He nodded and gave her a salute. She gave him a smile in response before following Zane back into the ship.  
      
    “I still don’t know why he did that.” Jay mumbled.  
  
    “I get the impression he knows some things we do not.” Echo recalled Zane telling the story. There had been a duel. They came to an understanding during it. As far as Echo knew it didn’t make sense, but Zane must have left out the details on purpose. “And there have been moments in your past where your enemies became your allies, correct?”  
  
    “Sure,” Jay shrugged. “But it doesn’t mean I have to like fridge boy. Specially not when he sometimes messages me cursed images.”  
  
    “Perhaps if you stopped trying to one up him, he would stop.”  
  
    “No way. I’m determined to be more annoying than him.”  
  
    Echo frowned at the phrasing, not certain if Jay meant for it to sound that way, but he didn’t comment on it.  
  
    “Whatever, forget him right now. Let’s go design some armor.”  
  
    Echo’s smile returned, already doing a search for some design inspiration. He let Jay take his hand as the lightning ninja pulled him him along.  
  
    Echo couldn’t wait to get started.  
  
❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄  
  
    Frigidus frowned as he looked at another picture on the wall. The fact there was an entire hallway in the building dedicated to Dr. Julien almost made him want to puke, but he kept his comments to himself. No point in risking getting thrown out.  
  
    Only two weeks after his fight with Zane the ice ninja showed up at his door again, this time with Cyrus Borg right behind him. Frigidus wasn’t sure what to think at first. His confusion only got worse when it turned out Borg was there to offer him a job.  
  
    It didn’t make much sense, after hacking into Borg’s security, but apparently that was the entire reason.  
  
   _“That’s not a simple feat, nor is a lot of the other things you’ve accomplished. I feel it would be a shame for you to tuck this skill away and not use it toward better things.”_  
  
    Frigidus’s bitterness made him want to tell them both to fuck off, but he wouldn’t do that in front of his mom. She was still a bit annoyed with him for all the trouble he caused the ninja. She’d lectured him a dozen times that those elemental powers didn’t matter that much. When he tried to argue his reasons for having them she only shook her head, telling him once more he couldn’t keep blaming himself for what happened.  
  
    So Frigidus bit his tongue, only being really sold on the idea when Borg explained he could house them both in the tower. As much as he and his mother loved their hometown it wasn’t exactly ideal for her to get around. They’d still visit on the regular.  
  
    Today was supposed to be his first day, but Borg insisted he look around the tower while they finished moving everything in. There were so many floors it was easy to get lost, and he just felt more and more out of place.  
  
    Should he really be here?  
  
    “Didn’t think I’d find you here.”  
  
    Frigidus turned to see Zane coming down the hall. His eyes seemed distant as he glanced at the photos and writing on the wall.  
  
    “Could say the same about you.” Frigidus kept his hands in his pockets. “Something up?”  
  
    “I just wanted to see you on your first day, let Pixal visit with her father.” Zane shrugged as he stood next to Frigidus. “It will be interesting to see what you do here.”  
  
    “Don’t try and flatter me.” Frigidus scoffed. “Besides I’ve got my to do list already. Borg wants me to remake my gloves for use around the building.” Frigidus pulled his hand out to wiggle his fingers. “I have to beef up the security here as well as make an upgrade for the museum as you not-so-politely requested.”  
  
    Zane kept smiling at him.  
  
    “After that, who knows. I’m sure he’ll find something for me to do.”  
  
    “Perhaps this will give you some inspiration.”  
  
    Frigidus glanced down to see Zane was holding out a book. It was leather bound, the edges of the pages crinkled and frayed.  
  
    “I came by to loan it to you for a time. I think you deserve to read through it.”  
  
    Frigidus was careful as he took it. “Is this... your father’s journal?”  
  
    Zane nodded.  
  
    “Why are you letting me have this?”  
  
    “So you can better understand his actions.” Zane said. “Even if you choose not to forgive him.” The nindroid looked back at the photo of Dr. Julien working with Cyrus Borg in one of the labs. “My father made many mistakes, but he did good things as well. Perhaps you can continue that.”  
  
    Frigidus couldn’t decide if he wanted to choke or burst out laughing at that concept. Hah, him, continue the work of the man who half ruined his life.  
  
    Instead he just shook his head. “We’ll see, I guess.”  
  
    Zane suddenly straightened up, his eyes flashing. “Ah, my apologies. Lloyd thinks he might have found a lead on where to find Master Wu.”  
  
    “You know,” Frigidus frowned. “Borg created a program already that can detect temporal anomalies. If you want I can just build something like that for your ship, just on the off chance something happens.”  
  
    Zane smiled at him. “I look forward to it. Hopefully I shall see you again soon.”  
  
    “Yeah, yeah, see you later, ice maker.”  
  
    Zane chuckled at the nickname and waved as he headed back down the hall. Frigidus watched him leave, clutching the journal tighter in his fingers. The leather felt as old as it looked.  
  
    He didn’t get the chance to peek inside however as his phone buzzed. Borg sent him a message, asking Frigidus to meet him on the 63rd floor. God, why was this tower so huge?  
  
    But he did as he was asked, feeling frustrated by the tune playing in the elevator. Perhaps he’d hack into the system to change that. He almost grinned at the idea of spooking some tourists.  
  
    He had to go down a couple of halls before he finally found Borg. The man was sitting outside of the only door in the hall, drumming his fingers together impatiently.  
  
    He perked up when he saw Frigidus. “Ah, good, there you are. I was worried you got lost.”  
  
    “Almost did.” Frigidus shrugged before pulling out a pair of glasses. “But I could always download the blueprints onto these babies if I needed to.” He opened them and put them over his eyes. They were just normal lenses until he twisted a small chip on the corner over the lens, allowing them to function much like his ski goggles used to.  
  
    “And you say you aren’t an inventor.” Borg shook his head as the door opened and he wheeled himself inside the room.  
  
    “It’s just not my hobby. Doesn’t mean I can’t improvise.” Frigidus responded as he followed him in. His jaw almost dropped when he saw the room. It was a lab, no doubt, with enough equipment and table space for anyone wanting to build a house sized mech. No doubt the only reason it looked so empty right now is because no one was using it.  
  
    “What is this?” Frigidus asked.  
  
    “Your lab.” Borg tapped his watch, turning on all the lights. “No doubt you’ll use your programming to bend everything in here to your will soon.”  
  
    “Hang on, I don’t need this much space.” Frigidus dashed ahead to stand in front of the inventor. “I’m a programmer, remember? I just write the programs I don’t build the stuff it goes in.”  
  
    Borg shook his head. “I’m a firm believer that people can do anything they want if you give them enough time and space, so that’s what I’m doing.”  
  
    “Who said I even want to invent stuff?”  
  
    “Well, what do you want to do then?”  
  
    Frigidus opened his mouth only to close it again.  
  
    “Exactly,” Borg adjusted his glasses. “If you figure it out, tell me and I’ll make adjustments accordingly. Until then this is your space. You can use it as you see fit.”  
  
    Frigidus let out a long sigh. He didn’t exactly agree but it didn’t seem like arguing was going to get him anywhere. He glanced around the room again. At least the huge window was nice. Nice view.  
  
    “I’ll let you get settled in, but message me if you have any questions.” Borg grinned at him. “And your mother told me to remind you she should have dinner ready by seven thirty.”  
  
    “Right,” Frigidus smiled when he snorted. “Sure, fine. Thank you sir.”  
  
    “You can just call me Borg.” The inventor adjusted his glasses.  
  
    Frigidus waited until he left and the doors closed before he wandered around. He placed the journal on the desk next to the computer, turning it on. A lot of the big equipment was covered in sheets, likely to keep the dust off. He didn’t bother removing it for now. He’d just end up with more stuff to clean.  
  
    When the computer was active he wasted no time hooking up the hard drives in his jacket to it. He uploaded his files to it, sorting out the ones he might actually need and realizing there were a few he should delete. Personal information he didn’t need anymore. It wouldn’t be right to hang onto it.  
  
    With everything loaded and the computer connected so he could pull up commands on his holo screen he first brought up the museum’s old security system. He figured it’d be easiest to start with the improvements they could make to it.  
  
    Frigidus cracked his knuckles before pulling his hair up into a ponytail.  
  
     _“So what? Do something wonderful without them. I know you will.”_  
  
    He smiled as he got to work. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's that, for this fic at least, the next one in this series is a scruff fic is anyone surprised.
> 
> Plan to post a Day of the Departed thing for the 21st as well if you'd like to check my blog for that.
> 
> And if you like this fic it'd be super appreciated if you spread the word or tipped me a ko-fi, the link for that is on my tumblr as well. 
> 
> Thanks again for reading!


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